Liverpool are reportedly ready to rival Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain for the signature of Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva.
Pep Guardiola confirmed last year that the Portugal international held a desire to leave the club, but he ultimately stayed put to help Man City win their sixth Premier League title.
Silva's future is once again being called into question, though, and Guardiola has admitted that he cannot guarantee the former Monaco man will remain at the club beyond the end of the summer.
"I always say I want the best for the players. I want Bernardo to stay. 100%. But at the same time if you want to leave, have an offer, clubs come to an agreement. Common sense," Guardiola affirmed to reporters.
"He's an important player, special, but I don't know what will happen. We didn't get any offer, last season neither. Bernardo's ready, training well for Sunday.
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"I talk a lot with Bernardo, with all of them, maybe because I'm getting old and we know each other quite well. I'm more relaxed as a manager with them, I know them.
"Their feelings, the good and bad moments. But not about this situation, if I have to tell him something I tell him, but we don't have doubts about the situation. He's happy, engaged, he has a beautiful dog. He's happy here, what will happen will happen."
Barcelona have supposedly told Man City that they will make an offer for the 27-year-old, but PSG are being tipped to hijack the Blaugrana's move with the influence of Luis Campos.
Now, Spanish outlet Fichajes has claimed that Liverpool could now join the race for Silva amid their midfield injury crisis, with Thiago Alcantara, Curtis Jones and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all out of action.
Liverpool are yet to sign a new lynchpin this summer, and manager Jurgen Klopp insisted that he would not only make signings for the short-term after Thiago went off injured against Fulham.
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"I know what will now come up, it's clear. We said we don't need a midfielder because we have enough - and we actually have enough, but the problem now is we get punished for something that is not our responsibility really because things like this can happen," Klopp told reporters.
"Look, a transfer must make sense now and in the long term; we have midfielders, we have still enough midfielders. It is not that we lack midfielders, but it's just some of them are injured.
"This is not a good situation, I don't like it at all, but we have to see how we react on that - but for sure not panicking."
Silva was only brought on as a substitute in Man City's opening Premier League win over West Ham United at the weekend, with Ilkay Gundogan preferred in the middle alongside Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne.
The Portuguese playmaker has totalled 48 goals and 50 assists in 251 appearances for Man City in all tournaments, and his contract at the Etihad Stadium expires in 2025.
Ben Knapton
