Laporta: “Bernardo Silva is a very good player but he belongs to City”

• “We have some friends there like Pep Guardiola, Txiki Begiristain, and Al Mubarak. There are a lot of people I know there,” he said on CBS about the Manchester club.
• “Everything we are doing with Frenkie de Jong is the same as with the rest of the squad but we cannot force him to lower his salary,” he added.

In an interview with CBS during the tour of the United States, Joan Laporta praised Bernardo Silva, the Barca target if Frenkie de Jong leaves this summer, but with words of respect for Manchester City and the friends he has there. “Bernardo is a very good footballer but I have to respect him because he belongs to Manchester City. We have some friends there like Pep Guardiola, Txiki Begiristain, and Al Mubarak. There are a lot of people I know there,” she said without wanting to argue.

Asked if he can say categorically that Frenkie de Jong will not go to Manchester United, he still kept the door open. “In football, you never know. Everything depends on different parties. The first thing I can say is that we want Frenkie to continue at Barcelona and he wants to continue. Everything we are doing with Frenkie is the same as with the rest of the squad. but we cannot force him to lower his salary. It is his decision. I can say that there is a strong possibility that he will continue and I will do everything possible to keep him in Barcelona”, insisted the culé president.