Bernardo Silva has already played with Cristiano Ronaldo as phase of the Portugal set-up and admits that he would welcome the possibility to add Lionel Messi to his list of team-mates.

The Manchester City playmaker has considered a move to Barcelona mooted in the latest past and speculation regarding possible exits at the Etihad Stadium has been ramped up on the again of the Blues being stung by means of a two-year Champions League ban.

Silva has offered no indication that he will be pushing for a move , however, the 25-year-old is prepared to admit that he harbours the ambition of one day operating alongside a six-time Ballon d’Or winner at club level.

He told SER Catalunya when asked if he would like to play with Messi: “Of course.

“I play with Cristiano in the national team and if I played with Messi, being capable to say that I performed with the best in history would be a pleasure, however it is a difficult matter.

At City or in Barca it will be welcome.”
For now, Silva is working with some other Barcelona legend in the form of Pep Guardiola.

The Catalan coach has enjoyed substantial success with City and is held in the easiest regard by those who form part of a star-studded squad in Manchester.

Silva said of his boss: “You learn a lot every day, it is a pleasure and he is certainly one of the best, if not the best, and the outcomes speak for themselves.

“Since I arrived two-and-a-half years ago, the entirety we have achieved right here is very much due to Pep so it is a pleasure to have him.”

City swept to an historical domestic treble underneath Guardiola in the 2018-19 campaign and, while the Premier League title appears destined to head for Liverpool this season, the Blues nonetheless have the chance to protect their Carabao Cup and FA Cup crowns.

They are also through to the last sixteen of the Champions League, where they will face La Liga giants Real Madrid.

European success is viewed to be a pinnacle precedence for a club that have been starved of it in the past, however Silva concedes that there are many contenders for the most sought-after of trophies.

He said: “Barca with Messi is continually very dangerous.

“PSG, with Neymar and Mbappe, is a team that without as much experience as Madrid or Barca can do well. And we simply want to.”