--- title: "Man City news round-up: transfer rumours, Pep Guardiola’s exit, Bernardo Silva" canonical: "https://readmancity.com/2026/05/21/man-city-news-round-up-transfer-rumours-pep-guardiolas-exit-bernardo-silva/" type: "post" language: "en-GB" author: "Samuel Johnson" section: "Man City News" published: "2026-05-21T13:00:00Z" modified: "2026-05-21T13:00:00Z" --- # Man City news round-up: transfer rumours, Pep Guardiola’s exit, Bernardo Silva Check out the latest news as it happens as we summary all the stories of the day here on Read Man City. ## Jermaine Pennant wants Pep Guardiola to manage Liverpool Ex-Red Pennant has told [talkSPORT](https://talksport.com/football/4271104/liverpool-sack-arne-slot-appoint-pep-guardiola/) that his former club should replace Arne Slot with Guardiola ahead of next season. Asked if he would welcome the City boss to Liverpool, he replied: “Of course, who wouldn’t? “Every team on the planet would like Pep as their manager.” [YouTube video player (embedded)](https://www.youtube.com/embed/yMuLqgrhN5g?si=IM49fyPFkeRhvkL8) Despite the fact Guardiola regularly competed against Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool for Premier League titles, Pennant has insisted he ‘couldn’t care less’ about the Catalan’s history. “If you’re going come over here, play attractive football – as you do, win. Yeah, come here mate. Open arms pal, come on,” Pennant continued. “If it was Man United – \[if he’d spent\] 10 years there, then it’d be an issue, but I don’t think at City it’d be an issue. “They’ve been our biggest rivals over the last so long, because we’ve been successful. But when we weren’t successful, it wasn’t City that were our rivals.” ## Leyton Orient respond to Pep Guardiola claim It did not take long for Challinor’s Guardiola admission to reach Leyton Orient, who quickly got to work on photoshop. > Cheeky Pep, we don’t mind it 😉… [#LOFC](https://twitter.com/hashtag/LOFC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) [#OneOrient](https://twitter.com/hashtag/OneOrient?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) [https://t.co/bqJKVt2lWm](https://t.co/bqJKVt2lWm) [pic.twitter.com/AoUJi2xKTZ](https://t.co/AoUJi2xKTZ) > > — Leyton Orient FC (@leytonorientfc) [May 20, 2026](https://twitter.com/leytonorientfc/status/2057139772305396173?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) The club posted on their official [X](https://x.com/leytonorientfc/status/2057139772305396173) account: “Cheeky Pep, we don’t mind it,” with an altered image of Guardiola spying outside their training ground. This, of course, is a joke also aimed at Southampton, who were recently expelled from the Championship play-off final due to their spygate incident. ## Bayern Munich are interested in John Stones [The Daily Mail](https://www.dailymail.com/sport/football/article-15835101/Bayern-Munich-consider-shock-swoop-John-Stones.html) have reported Bayern Munich’s interest in John Stones. Since the 31-year-old is out of contract this summer, obviously a move would not cost them a penny. Barcelona are one of three clubs to also be linked with the defender, but Bayern would likely be the more appealing choice. Moving there would give Stones the chance to work under ex-teammate Vincent Kompany. Playing alongside his international captain Harry Kane is a nice add-on too. And it would be a new challenge. After 10 years at City, Stones may well be looking for something new and exciting. Without a doubt, Bayern certainly offer that. ## Enzo Maresca seen as continuity choice after Pep Guardiola According to [The i Paper](https://inews.co.uk/sport/football/man-city-200m-transfers-title-4424291?ITO=newsnow), sources have suggested that the reason for bringing Maresca back to Man City would be based on continuity. The report states that the former City assistant “understands the journey the club is on” and will help ensure continuity across departments. Being a former Guardiola disciple has definitely played a role in the hiring process. However, Maresca’s time with Man City’s academy might have influenced the decision further. ## Bernardo Silva opens up on Pep Guardiola inspiration Speaking in an interview with [Manchester City](https://www.mancity.com/citytv/mens/bernardo-silva-farewell-interview-63914872), Bernardo explained how Guardiola’s Barcelona side motivated him during a difficult period at Benfica. The coaches at the time weren’t sure about Bernardo’s competence due to his size. However, Guardiola’s players gave the midfielder belief at a time others doubted him. “Pep for me was always an inspiration because when he was training in Barcelona, that team with the small guys, with Xavi, Iniesta, Messi, Pedro,” Bernardo said. He added, “I was at the time in Benfica, in my academy years, where I didn’t play because they thought that I wasn’t big enough, that I wasn’t strong enough.” “And me looking at that team and thinking, these guys, they’re also not big, they’re also not strong. If they can do it, maybe one day I can do it.”