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Portugal fans have heaped praise on midfield superstar Bernardo Silva following his outstanding performance in his side's victory over the Czech Republic on June 9.
Fernando Santos' side made it seven points from nine in their opening three Nations League encounters with a comfortable 2-0 victory in Lisbon. Silva was at the heart of things, providing assists for Joao Cancelo and Goncalo Guedes for the Portugal goals.
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The 27-year-old playmaker is widely regarded as one of the best midfielders in Europe and has excelled since joining Manchester City from Monaco in 2017. He has been a key part of Pep Guardiola's side, having won four Premier League titles in five years.
Silva scored 13 goals and provided seven assists in his 50 appearances for the Cityzens last season. The two goals he provided against the Czechs made it three assists in two international appearances, with the clash in Lisbon seeing Silva win his 70th cap.
Following the Portugal win, supporters took to Twitter to shower the City star with praise:
Manchester City slap huge price tag on Portugal star Bernardo Silva in an attempt to scare off Barcelona
Despite Blaugrana reportedly facing financial difficulties, the La Liga giants have been linked with several big-name players this summer.
Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Silva was a particular name mentioned in a meeting between Barcelona and superagent Jorge Mendes. Manager Xavi Hernandez is said to be a big fan of the 27-year-old.
However, according to Marca, City have attempted to scare the Catalonian giants off by putting a €100 million price tag on Silva.
The aforementioned report from the Spanish outlet stated that the fee would price Barcelona out of a move for the elite midfielder. He still has three years left on his current deal.
In a recent interview with The Times (as per The Manchester Evening News), Silva admitted that he wanted to leave Pep Guardiola's side due to homesickness during the pandemic. He said
“I was feeling a little bit alone at the time in England and I wasn’t very happy with my life. And if you’re not happy, you don’t do your job as well as you do when you are happy. I was well physically, but if you don’t do your job with a smile on your face, you’re not going to do it as well."
“I had a talk with the club because I wasn’t happy with my life here, and I wanted to be closer to my family. But it had nothing to do with the club. I love Manchester City. I love my team-mates, I love the fans, I love the club."
