Pep Guardiola has not ruled out the possibility of Bernardo Silva joining Barcelona – a club he "likes very much" – but acknowledged a deal would be tricky at this stage of the transfer window.

Silva remains a key man for City, excelling and scoring the equaliser in Sunday's 3-3 draw at Newcastle United, yet he also continues to be linked to Barca.

The Blaugrana have invested heavily in this window, with Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Jules Kounde among their eye-catching signings.

However, Barca coach Xavi is said to still be eager to add to his squad, with Silva seen as a potentially key capture.

City visited Camp Nou on Wednesday for a friendly – another 3-3 draw – and both Xavi and Guardiola were predictably asked to discuss Silva after the match.

"Who does not like Bernardo Silva? Just like De Bruyne or Haaland," Xavi said. "But there is no news.

"He is a player that I love – there are few like him – but it already depends on City."

Those comments offered Guardiola the opportunity to have a definitive say on Silva's future, but he repeated his mantra that he would only wish to keep happy players at City.

And Silva, the City manager added, would certainly be receptive to Barca.

"We count on him and I do not want him to leave," Guardiola said. "He is a superlative player in everything [he does].

"But as I have always said: I do not want a player to be unhappy. If a good offer came, he wanted to leave and there was an agreement, we would see.

"Although, if he left now, it would be a problem, because the market is about to close.

"With that said, Bernardo likes Barcelona very much."

The window will close next Thursday, with City's incoming business seemingly done after adding Erling Haaland, Stefan Ortega, Kalvin Phillips and Sergio Gomez to Guardiola's squad, along with Julian Alvarez, who was signed in January.

Manchester United have confirmed the departure of defender Eric Bailly, who has joined Marseille on a season-long loan with the potential for a permanent transfer.

The Ivory Coast centre-back has swapped the Premier League for Ligue 1 on a deal that will initially run to the end of the 2022-23 season.

But Marseille will have the option to buy the 28-year-old before the campaign concludes, with the fee reportedly set at €10million (£8.5m).

Bailly arrived at Old Trafford from Villarreal in 2016 and was a member of United's EFL Cup and Europa League-winning squad under Jose Mourinho in 2017.

However, various injury struggles, as well as the arrivals of Harry Maguire and Raphael Varane, have seen him restricted to just 57 appearances since the start of the 2018-19 campaign.

United's recent acquisition of Lisandro Martinez from Ajax pushed Bailly further down the pecking order under new boss Erik ten Hag, and the defender has now become the latest player to depart under the Dutchman's watch.

His exit comes in the wake of United's first win of the season, after the Red Devils ended a dire run of form to defeat Liverpool 2-1 on Monday.

Goals from Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford steered the hosts to victory, while Martinez partnered Varane in a new-look backline as captain Maguire joined Cristiano Ronaldo in being dropped to the bench.

Ferran Soriano has once again dismissed talk of Barcelona signing Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva.

Silva has long since been linked with a move to Camp Nou, but Pep Guardiola has made it clear he wants to keep the Portugal midfielder.

The 30-year-old playmaker scored one goal and set up another in the Premier League champions' 3-3 draw at Newcastle United on Sunday.

Silva is set to face Barca in a friendly on Wednesday and City chief executive Soriano does not expect him to be playing for the Catalan giants this season.

He told Cadena Ser's Que t'hi Jugues: "This story has taken many turns, but deep down it has never moved from the starting point."

Soriano added just over a week before the transfer window closes: "It's a bit late to talk about comings and goings."

Silva made 50 appearances for City in all competitions last season, a tally only bettered by Joao Cancelo (52), with the 28-year-old scoring 13 goals and providing seven assists.

Only Kevin de Bruyne (129) and Jack Grealish (78) created more chances for City than Silva's 76 last term.

Wolves head coach Bruno Lage is not aware that Arsenal have lodged a bid Pedro Neto.

The Gunners are said to be in the market for a new forward ahead of the transfer deadline next week, with Neto reportedly lined up as a target to replace Nicolas Pepe – said to be closing in on a loan move to Nice.

Lage is not surprised the London club may want Neto, but has not been told there is an offer on the table.

"I have heard that but nothing has come to us," Lage said.

"It's normal now, with the good players that we have. Teams are looking for good players in the same way we are looking for [Goncalo] Guedes, Matheus [Nunes], [Nathan] Collins. No one told me anything about any proposal."

Neto signed a five-year contract with Wolves in March, but Arsenal are said to be have held talks over a transfer with agent Jorge Mendes, who represents Neto and has close ties to Wolves.

Wesley Fofana is training with Leicester City's under-23 team as Chelsea continue with their attempts to sign the centre-back.

Brendan Rodgers confirmed on Tuesday, after the Foxes' penalty shoot-out win over Stockport County in the EFL Cup, that Leicester had turned down another bid from Chelsea for Fofana.

The defender missed Saturday's 2-1 defeat to Southampton, with Rodgers saying he was not in the right frame of mind to play and the Leicester boss revealed the 21-year-old had also failed to report for training one day last week.

Fofana is now training away from the first team with Leicester's young players.

"There was an offer gone in and it's been rejected," Rodgers said in a press conference, with reports claiming Chelsea's latest offer was worth around £70million.

"Apart from that, I'm not 100 per cent on the other details, because we were focusing on the game [against Stockport].

"He's training with the under-23s so he can get his football fitness and keep working. It's so important at this stage to control any sort of distractions that may be there.

"He's a good kid, it's just been a really challenging situation for him. I've had it a number of times in my career where there's players who can deal with it, cope with it, get on, want to help their team-mates. There's others that just can’t deal with the distraction.

"Of course that distracts them and it's not quite right, and they miss a training session, then you need the full commitment from your players. These guys get well paid. The very least you can do is turn up. And if you don't, with all due respect, you can’t then just think you can walk into our group."

Rodgers is now hoping for a swift resolution either way, with the transfer window closing next week.

"Of course if it happens, the sooner the better, because it might allow us to do some work," said Rodgers, whose side have only brought in goalkeeper Alex Smithies on a free transfer so far during this window.

Chelsea are also hopeful of signing Everton's Anthony Gordon, with reports on Tuesday suggesting the Blues would be willing to pay up to £60m for the winger.

Everton manager Frank Lampard told Sky Sports that "ideally" a swift resolution would be found, though reiterated his stance on Gordon remaining a key player.

All signs point to Chelsea securing the services of Everton winger Anthony Gordon, although the selling club may not be content with just a hefty transfer fee, with reports they are also demanding a player on loan in return.

The report from talkSPORT mentions Chelsea have offered £50million plus around £10m in add-ons, and that Gordon has informed Everton of his interest in heading to Stamford Bridge, but they will not let him leave without first investigating what else they could come away with in the deal.

It names 20-year-old striker Armando Broja and 22-year-old midfielder Conor Gallagher as the two players Frank Lampard would like to bring in for the season on a loan deal – two players Thomas Tuchel has publicly declared the club has no interest in parting ways with.

TOP STORY – CHELSEA ASKED TO SEND OVER A PLAYER AS WELL AS CASH FOR GORDON

Gordon is young, under contract through 2025, and is on track to potentially break through on the international stage and represent England at this year's World Cup, so it is fair to say Everton will not let him walk without a deal they believe will benefit them long-term.

An extra £50m in the transfer market will allow plenty of flexibility either in this window or in January, but the prospect of also receiving a high-quality loanee to fill Gordon's shoes in the meantime is what really interests the club.

Broja impressed on loan at Southampton last season and would give Everton another option to support Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who is out injured. Gallagher enjoyed a fine campaign at Crystal Palace, meanwhile, and might want regular minutes ahead of the World Cup.

The Mirror adds Everton would like to have a suitable replacement lined up for transfer before finalising a Gordon move, and have named Watford's Joao Pedro and Southampton's Che Adams as players the Toffees have enquired about.

ROUND-UP

– Manchester United are prepared to offer Eintracht Frankfurt goalkeeper Kevin Trapp a salary in the range of £9m to join the club, according to Sport1.

– Fabrizio Romano is reporting that West Ham have submitted an €11m offer to Club Brugge for midfielder Hans Vanaken.

– According to 90min, Roma and Milan are both hoping to secure Chelsea's Trevor Chalobah on loan, with the Blues continuing their pursuit of Leicester City defender Wesley Fofana.

– Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund are discussing a potential defender swap that would send Sergino Dest to Germany while Thomas Meunier would head to Spain, per Sport.

– Sport also claims Barcelona are interested in Arsenal right-back Hector Bellerin.

Everton manager Frank Lampard has stated that nothing has changed on the future of Anthony Gordon amid strong links of a move away from Goodison Park.

It has been reported that Chelsea could be ready to pay up to £60million to take the 21-year-old to Stamford Bridge, while Tottenham and Newcastle United have also apparently been interested.

After the departure of last season's top goalscorer Richarlison to Spurs and the injury to striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, it has fallen on Gordon to lead the line at the start of this campaign.

Gordon started on the bench for Everton's EFL cup game with Fleetwood Town and Lampard opted not to bring him in on in the 1-0 victory, amid rumours that Chelsea are preparing a new bid having reportedly already seen multiple offers exceeding £40million rejected by Everton.

But Lampard says that nothing has changed yet, telling Talksport: "He's our player and the latest is the same as what I said after the game against Nottingham Forest.

"He's our player and he's got three years left on his contract. We're aware of the interest of Chelsea as the world is now.

"This situation has to be right for Everton Football Club and for me as the coach of the team so we're in the same position that we were a few days ago."

Bayern Munich sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic has revealed the Bundesliga giants held discussions with Erling Haaland before the striker's blockbuster move to Manchester City.

One of the most significant deals of the ongoing transfer window saw the former Borussia Dortmund striker swap Germany for England for a reported fee of £51million (€60m).

Like Dortmund, Bayern also saw their talismanic centre-forward depart the Bundesliga this window, with Robert Lewandowski heading to Barcelona.

And sporting director Salihamidzic says the club held talks with Haaland over a potential move for the 22-year-old, who he does not blame for choosing "something that he thinks is better for him".

Speaking to Bild, Salihamidzic said: "We had some discussions. We had things in mind that could be implemented for us. In the end, it didn't work out for various reasons."

Bayern were also linked with a move for Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo amid speculation that the Portugal skipper is keen on a move away from Old Trafford.

However, Salihamidzic says a deal was "out of the question".

"When you see now how our attack – even without Robert Lewandowski – is occupied, it is simply difficult from both a sporting and financial point of view," he added.

"[You have] eight players for the four positions. We have seasoned top players who are in the best age of football."

Salihamidzic also believes mistakes were made in the handling of negotiations that culminated in David Alaba's departure to Real Madrid, admitting he wishes he could have done things differently.

The defender's 12-year stint with the Bavarian giants came to an end at the conclusion of the 2020-21 season, as the club failed to reach an agreement with the Austria international over a new deal.

"The supervisory board had concerns about making extraordinary contracts during this time," Salihamidzic said. "We still wanted to save face and give David great appreciation.

"We really tried everything. We really wanted to keep David. But it was, it has to be said, a difficult time. 

"In retrospect, I don't know if I would have done it again with such a deserving player."

West Ham have completed the signing of defender Emerson Palmieri from Chelsea for a fee in the region of £15million.

The Italy international has penned a four-year deal with the Hammers, with the option of a further 12 months, and will wear the number 33 shirt at the London Stadium.

Emerson becomes David Moyes' seventh signing of the transfer window, following the arrivals of Nayef Aguerd, Alphonse Areola, Flynn Downes, Gianluca Scamacca, Maxwel Cornet and Thilo Kehrer.

The 28-year-old struggled to establish his place in Chelsea's starting line-up after moving from Roma in January 2018, spending last season on loan at Ligue 1 side Lyon.

Nevertheless, the left-back brings plenty of experience to the West Ham ranks, having started for Italy in their Euro 2020 final victory over England last year.

"I'm very happy to be here and to arrive here. It's a big challenge for me, it's a big team, so I'm very happy to be here and I'm ready," Emerson told the club's official website.

"Personally, since the first day I arrived here in England, I always saw the big clubs and I always watched the big games, and I knew the history about West Ham.

"The history is so, so big for this team and so when I knew about the interest, for sure I said 'Yes, let's go, I want to go there' and I'm here now! I can't wait to get started in a West Ham shirt."

Hammers boss David Moyes added: "We are very pleased to welcome Emerson to West Ham United.

"He is an experienced player with a good pedigree, who has enjoyed great success at both club and international level in recent years.

"He will give us strong competition in defensive areas and brings a winning mentality that we are looking to build here at West Ham."

West Ham have started their league campaign with three defeats and no goals scored for the first time since 1971-72.

The Hammers take on Viborg in the second leg of their Europa Conference League play-off on Thursday, leading 3-1 from the first leg, before facing Aston Villa in the Premier League three days later.

Fabio Capello does not understand why Juventus would want to sign Marseille forward Arkadiusz Milik before the transfer window closes.

Juve are reported to be keen to land Poland international Milik rather than Barcelona's Memphis Depay.

Milik scored 20 goals in 37 games for Ligue 1 side Marseille in all competitions last season, and the Bianconeri are said to have lined up a loan move for the former Napoli man, with the option to sign him permanently.

Former Juve boss Capello is not enthused over reports that Milik could be on his way to Turin.

"We need a player who has more quality. I hear about Milik, but he is not a player that makes the difference," Capello told Sky Sport Italia 

"It's not what the fans dream of seeing at Juve – he's a good player, who can be part of the squad, but nothing more."

Vice president Pavel Nedved confirmed that Depay is a target for Juve ahead of Monday's goalless Serie A draw at Sampdoria.

He told DAZN: "There is no need to speed up the process, that is never a good idea. We are evaluating; we are vigilant about what the market offers.

"We must evaluate well, looking at training and injuries; we are considering entering the market.

"Depay can play with with Dusan [Vlahovic] or in his place. He can play with [Moise] Kean and play as a winger, but he is only one of the names we are evaluating."

Ruud van Nistelrooy is hopeful PSV can ward off Manchester United's interest in winger Cody Gakpo, as he praised the Netherlands international for maintaining his focus amid widespread transfer speculation.

United have brought in Lisandro Martinez, Christian Eriksen, Tyrell Malacia and most recently Casemiro during a busy transfer window, but reports suggest Erik ten Hag is looking to his homeland in his attempts to add a winger.

Ajax's Antony – who was left out of their squad for a 1-0 win at Sparta Rotterdam on Sunday – and PSV star Gakpo are both reported targets.

Gakpo scored 21 goals in 47 appearances in all competitions for PSV last season and has been tipped to provide competition for Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho should he join United.

But PSV coach Van Nistelrooy, who himself scored 95 Premier League goals in a successful five-year spell at Old Trafford, is desperate to keep the 23-year-old.

"There have been rumours for a long time. It is clear that we would like to keep him," Van Nistelrooy said.

"I have been working with him for eight weeks now and have not seen a single moment that he shows different behaviour. That is very nice for someone his age."

PSV face Rangers in the second leg of their Champions League qualification play-off on Wednesday, having rescued a 2-2 draw in last week's first meeting at Ibrox.

Unai Emery says Juan Foyth wants to stay at Villarreal but knows he could join Barcelona before the transfer window closes.

Barca have targeted defender Foyth after missing out on Cesar Azpilicueta, who decided to stay at Chelsea.

Villarreal vice-president Jose Manuel Llaneza warned the Catalan giants they would have to meet the €42million release clause in order to sign the Argentina right-back.

Emery reiterated that former Tottenham full-back Foyth is not looking to leave, but the Villarreal head coach accepts there are no guarantees he will stay.

"Barca's interest is real," Emery told Cadena SER's 'El Larguero'. "It's a position they need and it fits for them. The issue is whether the player wants it or not, he has always told me that he is very happy.

"He does not contemplate leaving and wants to stay. From here, I don't know to what extent circumstances will go one way or the other.

"He's an important player for us and he's grown a lot in recent years. I don't rule out that at any given moment the surprise will be against us, but the most normal thing is that he stays at Villarreal."

Emery is hoping to add to his squad by signing striker Edinson Cavani, who is also wanted by Valencia.

The former Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal boss said: "I spoke to Edinson Cavani – we have a good relationship, he wants to come to Spain. It's possible."

Bernardo Silva will stay at Manchester City despite Barcelona's interest in signing the midfielder, according to the Premier League champions' chief executive Ferran Soriano.

Barcelona have enjoyed a busy transfer window as they attempt to close the gap on last season's LaLiga and Champions League winners Real Madrid, signing Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Jules Kounde, Andreas Christensen and Franck Kessie, while they also hope to bring in Marcos Alonso from Chelsea.

But the Blaugrana have also been credited with a strong interest in Silva, who refused to rule out a move earlier this month when declaring City "know what I want".

Silva could make a Camp Nou appearance on Wednesday when City take on Barca in a friendly arranged to raise funds to fight motor neurone disease, but Soriano is adamant the Portugal midfielder will not be returning to Barcelona on a more permanent basis.

Speaking to El Chiringuito de Jugones, Soriano said: "Of course, I can say that Bernardo Silva will stay at Man City."

Pep Guardiola has also affirmed his desire to keep Silva on multiple occasions.

Silva made 50 appearances for City in all competitions last season, a tally only bettered by Joao Cancelo (52), with the 28-year-old scoring 13 goals and providing seven assists.

Meanwhile, only Kevin de Bruyne (129) and Jack Grealish (78) created more chances for City than Silva's 76 last term, and he got off the mark for the new campaign by scoring the equaliser in a thrilling 3-3 draw at Newcastle United on Sunday.

Chelsea lost 3-0 to Leeds United on Sunday and it would appear that defeat has sparked the Blues into action.

New owner Todd Boehly has been keen to make his mark since arriving at Stamford Bridge, bringing in Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly and Marc Cucurella among others.

But head coach Thomas Tuchel wants more. Leicester City defender Wesley Fofana is a priority target for the defence, while last week Chelsea had two bids rejected by Everton for Anthony Gordon.

Now it would appear the Blues are confident of completing the signing, while they are also reportedly in talks to land a second attacker.

TOP STORY - CHELSEA IN FOR GORDON AND LEAO

The Times reports that Chelsea will this week push ahead and match Everton's £50million asking price for winger Gordon, who scored four goals in a breakthrough Premier League season last term.

Everton boss Frank Lampard stressed the importance of Gordon to his plans, and played the 21-year-old against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, but also suggested that a decision might have to be made if a bid was too good to turn down.

Gordon might also be joined in moving to Stamford Bridge by Milan star Rafael Leao. The Portugal international scored 11 times for the Rossoneri as they won Serie A last season, and the same report claims that Chelsea are in talks with the Italian champions over a move for the 23-year-old.

ROUND-UP

- Several outlets are reporting that West Ham have struck a deal with Chelsea to sign left-back Emerson Palmieri for around £13million.

- Eric Bailly is close to joining Marseille on loan from Manchester United, according to Fabrizio Romano.

- The Telegraph claims Newcastle United have been told they must pay £30million to buy striker Joao Pedro from Watford.

- Villarreal coach Unai Emery told El Larguero that Edinson Cavani could join the club, while he also said that Juan Foyth is of interest to Barcelona.

- Everton were hoping to have Idrissa Gueye and Mohammed Kudus signed but have bumped into difficulties with Paris Saint-Germain and Ajax respectively, says The Times.

- Fabrizio Romano also reports that Fulham and Roma will hold further talks this week over Justin Kluivert.

- Barca defender Samuel Umtiti will join Lecce, says Gianluca Di Marzio.

It is easy to imagine how Manchester United landed on Casemiro's name in the week that followed their shambolic 4-0 defeat at Brentford.

United were preyed upon by the Brentford press, giving up three chances and two goals from high turnovers as Christian Eriksen – a false nine in their previous match – ended up as the deepest midfielder and struggled badly.

Through two games, no Premier League side allowed more shots following high turnovers than United (eight).

At the very least, Casemiro – a five-time Champions League winner anchoring one of the great modern midfields at Real Madrid – should make United harder to play against.

Yet the 30-year-old, whose arrival at Old Trafford was confirmed ahead of Monday's game against Liverpool, possesses a vastly different profile to the previous two midfielders United very publicly pursued – ultimately unsuccessfully.

The progression from Frenkie de Jong to Adrien Rabiot to Casemiro was not a particularly obvious one, but have the Red Devils now ended up with the right man?

No more 'McFred'

Few United fans who have seen their 'McFred' midfield repeatedly overrun in recent seasons would complain about the club recruiting an upgrade on Fred.

The numbers would suggest that is what they are buying in Casemiro, who is comparable to his Brazil team-mate by several metrics.

Only two LaLiga midfielders made more recoveries than Casemiro (230) last season, yet his 8.0 per 90 were topped by Fred's 8.7. Fred matched Casemiro for tackles per 90 (both 2.8) and edged him in terms of interceptions (1.4 to 1.3).

However, Casemiro's physical presence ensured he won 59.7 per cent of his duels, far outperforming Fred's 47.8 per cent.

And the Madrid man, crucially, is more effective with the ball once he has won it.

Carlo Ancelotti's side attempted 43 shots at the end of sequences that started with Casemiro recovering possession, seeing the midfielder lead LaLiga in this regard and trail only Marcelo Brozovic (44) across Europe's top five leagues.

Although just 27.6 per cent of Casemiro's passes were played forward – versus Fred's 30.4 per cent – he was at the heart of so many Madrid attacks.

Casemiro played 34 passes to players who immediately created chances for team-mates, which compared very favourably with Rabiot (12), Scott McTominay (18), Fred (19) and, indeed, De Jong (22).

Carrying United's hopes

There was an obvious appeal to the attempted signing of De Jong, who would have offered something different to the United midfield.

Highly skilled with the ball at his feet, De Jong's carries progressed the play 113.6 metres upfield per 90 last season. Ahead of playing Liverpool, United's five midfielders (Fred, McTominay, Eriksen, Bruno Fernandes and Donny van de Beek) had progressed the ball only 384m combined so far this season – or 192m per 90.

Casemiro clearly cannot offer this dynamism either, given he carried the ball just 54.3m upfield per 90 last term.

And United could seemingly still benefit from a player of De Jong's talents, as Casemiro is used to being able to rely on others in midfield to fulfil this role; he was by far Madrid's least progressive midfield carrier in 2021-22, behind Toni Kroos (80.6m), Luka Modric (85.7m), Eduardo Camavinga (91.1m) and Federico Valverde (133.3m).

But considering the difficulties in getting that deal done with Barcelona, United's scattergun approach has at least – via Rabiot – picked out a player capable of helping them both with and without the ball.

No Premier League team conceded more goals than United through the first two matchweeks of the season, while they only netted themselves courtesy of an own goal.

One man alone may not be able to get United's season back on track, but Casemiro is primed to give it a good go.