Manchester City star provides Ilkay Gundogan contract boost with treble celebration gesture

Jack Grealish’s ‘Please don’t go’ pleas were limited to Bernardo Silva during Manchester City’s treble celebrations this week, as per a new report.

Grealish was spotted pleading with Silva to stay put at the Etihad Stadium past the summer as the rumour mill begins on where the Portuguese will be play his club football next season.

Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain are leading the race to sign the 28-year-old, with the latter speaking with the Lisbon-born midfielder’s camp about the club’s project after Manchester City rejected a player-plus-cash offer made by the French giants.

PSG are understood to be most likely to prise Silva away from Manchester City should they present an agreeable offer to the English and European champions.

With two years remaining on Silva’s current contract in the north-west, the Blues will sit firm on their valuation of the five-time Premier League winner, which is understood to be in the vicinity of £70 million.

Barcelona are unlikely to be able to match City’s asking price for Silva, who enjoyed a sensational season and was utilised by Guardiola in a range of different positions as the Premier League champions went all the way on three fronts.

En route to City’s parade celebrations on Monday evening on the Manchester Metro Link, City record signing Jack Grealish was spotted saying, ‘Please don’t go,’ to Silva in a plea for the beloved midfielder to don sky blue next season.

As per Pol Ballus of The Athletic, Grealish’s pleas for Silva to stay at Manchester City continued in more private celebratory settings on Monday.

However, that was not the case for Ilkay Gundogan, whose future remains a hot topic as he enters the final few weeks of his current deal, which could indicate the City skipper is set to put pen to paper and extend his seven-year stay in Manchester.

It is worth stating that reports have indicated had there been a belief that Gundogan is set to leave in the summer, Guardiola would have brought him off the bench in City’s 1-0 win over Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium in May.