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Pep Guardiola’s intended audience may have been in Barcelona. It often has been, though usually when he was their midfielder, captain or manager. In seven years in Manchester, Guardiola has frequently had to address matters at the Camp Nou, though it was usually only to deny that Lionel Messi was bound for the Etihad Stadium. Now the subject of another saga is a player from his present, not the increasingly distant past. Manchester City’s summers seem to consist of two rituals: lifting the Premier League trophy and then enduring a wait to see if Bernardo Silva stays. The Portuguese’s most persistent admirers are in Catalonia. The other constant is that Barcelona repeatedly refuse to meet City’s asking price. Sometimes they receive no firm proposal while a cash-strapped club with a recruitment policy based on hoping their allure will encourage players to engineer their exit seemingly think they can acquire elite footballers on the cheap. All of which is a cause of some irritation in Manchester. Guardiola has long insisted that he will allow players to leave if they want to go, providing he has enough time to find a replacement and an acceptable sum is recouped. Silva has been tempted to go, although seemingly not to Saudi Arabia. But the season starts with both him and the Bayern Munich target Kyle Walker at the Etihad, with Guardiola vowing to do everything he can to keep them, but with the familiar state of affairs that no one has made a suitable offer for Silva. It remains an unsettling, undermining situation. And so Guardiola seemed to direct a message from Manchester to his old club: in effect, to put up or shut up. “I want to clarify because I know Barcelona reports make up what I say,” he said. “From day one I don't want any players who don't want to be here but I'm an employee. I want to work with guys who want to stay and work with staff and players, but after we have to get a proper offer. If we don't get a proper offer, he's our player and we want him. “If they want him, they will take a plane and come here and talk to our sporting director and CEO to make an agreement because three parts have to be there. For us to buy a player, just because we are Man City it is £10-15m more expensive than other clubs all the time. If people want our really, really important players, first they have to make an offer - and that hasn't happened. When it happens, we will fight to extend the contract and be with us. That has happened with all of our players since day one.” The notion of a City tax in signing players is familiar. Josko Gvardiol, whose arrival should be ratified, will become the second most expensive defender in history, at £77m. Barcelona appear to think tax should be deducted at source, that they should get players for below their market value. City think Silva is worth £80m which, as midfielders such as Declan Rice and Enzo Fernandez have commanded nine-figure sums, may not be excessive; it may have been an understatement when Guardiola said it would cost more than £50m to replace the Portuguese international. City were beneficiaries on one of the few occasions in straitened times when Barcelona, despite their heavy debts, paid a sizeable fee: €55m for Ferran Torres, who has since lost his place in their team. Their powers of persuasion worked on Ilkay Gundogan, who joined on a free transfer. But Barcelona’s difficulties in even registering players is a reason why there has been no bid for Silva this summer, just an extended courtship. Much as Guardiola often praises the midfielder, he has long seemed to have a wanderlust. He may be interested. “When you win the treble, it looks like the job is done,” Guardiola said. “Players who are 32, 33 like Ilkay and Riyad [Mahrez] say we arrived here for Premier Leagues and then people ask about the Champions League [and then they win that]. Some players feel they want a new experience. “I will not be the guy who says no, but they have to make an agreement with the important part of the club, the business. Make a deal and it happens. In the case of Bernardo and Kyle, we talk many times over the last months and even years how important they are, how we want them and we will continue to do so until the end. I don't know what will happen.” The uncertainty is an annual experience but Silva could be still more important now. Gundogan’s departure may allow him to play his preferred role in the middle of midfield. For Guardiola, he is central, in more ways than one. And if Silva has the technical talent to play for Barcelona, it comes with the kind of price tag that, so far, they have been unwilling or unable to match. Read More Pep Guardiola hopes Manchester City complete signing of Josko Gvardiol soon Pep Guardiola keen to avoid ‘difficult’ transfer task after Man City lose ‘incredible players’ Josko Gvardiol set for Manchester City medical after £77.5m deal agreed

Jurgen Klopp suggested Liverpool will appeal against Alexis Mac Allister’s dismissal after his side came from behind to beat Bournemouth 3-1 at Anfield. In a dramatic home opener, Liverpool needed goals from Luis Diaz, Mo Salah and Diogo Jota to respond to a third-minute strike from Antoine Semenyo, and played the final half an hour with 10 men after Mac Allister’s home debut was cut short in the 58th minute. The World Cup winner was shown a straight red by referee Thomas Bramall after catching Ryan Christie with a high boot, but the decision looked harsh. “I think the amount of times I was asked about it shows it’s worth discussing again, which we will probably do,” Klopp said. “I asked Macca and he said, ‘I touched him but not really’. That’s all he told me. “After the game I saw it back. I think if you have a list of points, what we need to give a red card, besides contact there’s nothing else, no other boxes ticked. “It’s a decision we all agree if he gives a yellow card VAR would not overturn it and if he gives a red card VAR will not overturn it because contact means it’s not a clear and obvious mistake. “But now the punishment, 40 minutes with 10 men is already punishment enough. But let’s see, we have to talk to the authorities.” Liverpool were leading 2-1 when Mac Allister was sent off, but far from retreating, they seemed fired up by the sense of injustice, with Joto scoring the third four minutes later. That all came after a torrid start from Klopp’s side. A bright and energetic Bournemouth side had already seen a Jaidon Anthony goal ruled out for offside following a defensive mix-up when Semenyo punished more lax play by drilling in the opening goal after only three minutes. Liverpool soon had another scare with goalkeeper Alisson felling Anthony on the edge of the box after misplacing a pass, his punishment limited to a yellow card with Ibrahima Konate covering. “The start of the game was obviously not how we wanted it,” Klopp said. “We conceded the first goal after a minute and then it was offside so you think that’s the wake-up call we needed. “Then we concede another goal two minutes later and then there’s a yellow card for our goalie so it’s not what you need but you are working with human beings so you have to figure it out.” An improvised finish from Diaz levelled it, and Liverpool led after Salah tucked in the rebound from his own missed penalty in the 36th minute, his 187th Liverpool goal taking him to fifth all-time above Steven Gerrard. The spot-kick was awarded when summer signing Dominik Szoboszlai made the most of a dangling leg from Joe Rothwell to go down in the box. It looked soft, and came after Bournemouth had a penalty shout of their own when, with the score still 1-0 to the visitors, former Liverpool striker Dominic Solanke went down when sandwiched by Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson. “In both cases I wouldn’t call it a penalty,” said Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola. “It wasn’t clear and obvious. It has to be something that affects the game and is clear. These are difficult decisions… “I think we started really well. We had a disallowed goal, we created other chances and after they scored and they pushed we had to defend and I think we did pretty well during the first half because they were putting pressure on and I was happy with the performance. “In this kind of match you need some kinds of moments to go your way, key things that took us far from the points, especially the penalty. We were competing and this penalty was important for them.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Reds hit back after shaky start, while Brighton and Brentford also win Tottenham fans stage protest over ticket price increases ahead of Man Utd match Solly March bags brace as Brighton beat Wolves to go top of Premier League

The West Indies produced a fine team display to secure a series victory over the United Arab Emirates with a 78-run win in the...

SEC standard bearers Georgia and Alabama are front and center in Week 10 of the college football season after the Pac-12 commanded the national spotlight for most of the last month