Bernardo Silva Wants Lionel Messi Link-Up Amid Barcelona Transfer Rumours

Bernardo Silva has signalled his admiration for Lionel Messi and said he would like to play alongside the six-time Ballon d'Or winner amid rumours Barcelona are interested in the Manchester City winger. 

The 43-times capped Portugal international has extensive experience playing alongside compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo, the other most hallowed star of his generation, but he's yet to call Messi a team-mate.

Silva, 25, was asked whether he'd like to play alongside Messi and told SER Catalunya (h/t Goal's Chris Burton): "Of course. I play with Cristiano in the national team, and if I played with Messi, being able to say that I played with the best in history would be a pleasure, but it is a complicated matter. At City or in Barca it will be welcome."

The report referred to rumours in the past linking Silva with a move to Barcelona, whose right-sided winger, Ousmane Dembele, was recently ruled out for around six months with a hamstring injury.

Burton suggested City's two-year suspension from the UEFA Champions League could impact which players remain at the Etihad Stadium beyond this summer, though the club intend to appeal their punishment.

The Premier League outfit was hit with the ban and a €30 million (£25 million) fine for "overstating its sponsorship revenue in its accounts and in the break-even information" between 2012 and 2016.

The Athletic's David Ornstein said players at the Etihad are "keenly observing" the appeal through the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) with regards to their future at the club:

Silva joined City in July 2017 after spending three years at AS Monaco (initially on a season-long loan from Benfica), and he's started in 99 of his 140 appearances for the Manchester powerhouse.

It wasn't long after City's two-year European ban was announced that Silva said he intended to one day return to his boyhood club at the Estadio da Luz:

Messi, 32, has a contract at the Camp Nou until June 2021, but the Argentinian recently allayed fears of an exit after he told Mundo Deportivo (h/t Barcelona's official website) his "idea is to stay at Barca."

Silva has scored five goals and recorded five assists in 23 Premier League appearances this season, though three of his strikes came during an 8-0 mauling of Watford in September:

The Portuguese playmaker could be a sensible option if Quique Setien's side were to recruit competition for the injury-prone Dembele this summer, with Riyad Mahrez also among Pep Guardiola's options on the right.

Silva's deal at the Etihad doesn't expire until 2025 after he signed a six-year contract in March 2019, however, meaning City could face little pressure to sell their player even if Barcelona were to come calling.