Bernardo is one of my favourite players and I don't want him to leave but I hope we're not setting an unrealistic fee for him based on Rice going for £105m which we all know is ridiculously overpriced. I don't see how our valuation can be any higher than last summer when he has a year less left on his contract.
If PSG stump up close to what we wanted last summer and Bernardo wants to go then I think we should accept it as a gesture of good will. I know we're not a charity and I'm not suggesting we let him go for peanuts but after six years of service in which he has worked harder than anyone and never let his performances drop despite wanting to leave for the last three years, I think we should be more a bit more accommodating.
I'm not saying Bernardo would down tools if he has to stay for another year because he doesn't strike me as that type of character and I think he has too much love for his teammates and the fans to do that. However, if we reject a reasonable offer when we know he has wanted to leave for a long time then I do think he'll start to feel slightly aggrieved. The last thing I want for a player who is adored by the fans and who clearly loves the club is for the relationship to turn sour which it could if he feels we're being unreasonable.
He will be a significant loss to the team and extremely difficult to replace but we will have to replace him at some point within the next two years because I don't see a scenario in which he signs a new contract. I hope we can convince him to see out the last two years of his contract and maybe Pep still having two years left on his will help with that but if an opportunity arises that appeals to him then I would reluctantly say thank you for the incredible memories and wish him good luck with the next step of his career because I think he deserves that.