Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva will stay with the Premier League champions as there have been no bids for the Portugal international, manager Pep Guardiola said, closing the door on any potential last-minute transfer.Guardiola had said earlier this week that he would not stand in Silva's way if Barcelona came calling when the 28-year-old was linked with the Spanish club.
But he has now changed his stance with the transfer window closing next week."He will stay here, absolutely," Guardiola said, cutting a reporter off when he was asked about Silva's future."We don't have any phone call from any club regarding Bernardo Silva, so that's why he'll stay."Guardiola also refused to acknowledge if French champions Paris St Germain had come in with a bid for Silva.City host Crystal Palace in the league on Saturday, the only team they failed to score against last season while also losing 2-0 at home."They have resilience and an incredible amount of quality," Guardiola said."They defend the 18-yard box really well, good set pieces, good transitions.
They have weapons, experienced players in the middle."Palace boss Patrick Vieira said the challenge will be whether the London side can repeat the same kind of performance this weekend."The game will be clear: they will have possession, they will have really good moments and it's about how we manage those moments," the Frenchman said."We'll have to defend well, there's no doubt about it.
We'll have to be clear about roles and responsibilities, what we need to do. It may not be enough but we'll go there and compete."Listen to the RTÉ Soccer podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.