SUMMARY
- Real Madrid reportedly wants to buy Bernardo Silva from Manchester City.
- Silva recently missed a crucial penalty against Real Madrid in UCL quarterfinal.
There have been rumors recently of Manchester City star Bernardo Silva wanting to leave the club at the end of this season. Since his arrival to City from Monaco in a $74 million deal, Silva has been at the helm of City’s extraordinary success. He has managed to establish himself as a crucial player and an undisputed starter in Pep Guardiola’s team. However, amid reports of Silva’s exit, a new club has reportedly joined the race.
According to reports from Daily Star, Real Madrid is reportedly interested in signing Bernardo Silva. Silva’s current contract at Manchester City expires in June 2026. However, Silva’s contract contains a £50million ($61.8 million) release clause starting this summer. This release clause has led to increased interest from several clubs like Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, PSG, Bayern Munich, and Arsenal.
🚨 Real Madrid are leading the race to sign Manchester City’s 29-year-old midfielder Bernardo Silva this summer.
(Source: Daily Star) pic.twitter.com/3CJHfScXFD
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) April 21, 2024
Bernardo Silva, who used to play in the Portuguese league and the French league before his eventual arrival in England, reportedly prefers his next destination to be Spain. However, if Silva goes to Real Madrid, it would be a pretty ironic move. In the last few days, Silva has been targeted as the scapegoat for City’s narrow defeat to Real Madrid after he missed a penalty in the UCL quarterfinal.
Well well well, look who missed the penalty, if it isn’t Bernardo Silva #ManCityRealMadrid #BAYARS #ManCity #Bernardosilva pic.twitter.com/YjLq3amuPV
— Deinma (@Deinma6) April 17, 2024
In what was a nerve-racking 120 minutes of end-to-end action, City lost to the Spanish giants on penalties, with Silva’s missed penalty attracting plenty of criticism. Although, Silva does boast a decent record against Los Blancos. In his eight meetings against Madrid, Silva has won four and lost two games. Additionally, he has scored four goals and provided one assist against what could be his potential future club.
Portuguese star sparks rumors of Bernardo Silva’s arrival at FC Barcelona
While rumors have emerged about Bernardo Silva wanting to leave Manchester City for Real Madrid, there also have been reports suggesting links between Silva and FC Barcelona. Real Madrid’s arch-rivals have been interested in signing Silva for a long time but have failed to do so due to their financial constraints. Moreover, Silva’s compatriot and FC Barcelona forward Joao Felix has also commented on the transfer links.
Earlier this month, Joao Felix revealed in an interview that he’s trying to convince Bernardo Silva to come to FC Barcelona. Felix said, “If I were (Sporting Director) Deco for a day, I would sign Bernardo Silva without a doubt.” Felix added that Silva would be a great addition to FC Barcelona’s squad and that his international teammate has been enquiring about the Spanish city.
🚨🎙️| João Félix: “If Bernardo Silva ends up coming, I’ll ask the club for a commission. I think that I have convinced him, but I don’t think that it depends on him.” #fcblive pic.twitter.com/tnJNoBA4pL
— BarçaTimes (@BarcaTimes) April 8, 2024
As disclosed by Felix, Silva’s sister-in-law lives in Barcelona, and the City star has been also asking about the weather, tax policies, and so on in Spain. In addition to this, the ex-Atletico Madrid star also revealed that Silva dreams of wearing FC Barcelona’s iconic number 10 jersey. Lastly, Felix jokingly added that if the move does happen, he would be demanding a commission for convincing Silva to join the club.
Bernardo Silva’s current contract and stats at Manchester City
Despite strong reports suggesting that Bernardo Silva wants to leave Manchester City, the Portuguese international has achieved incredible success at the English club. Since joining the club in 2017, Silva has gone on to win five Premier League titles, two FA Cups, four EFL Cups, two Community Shield titles, and one Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup title.
The 29-year-old has marked 348 appearances for Manchester City and has scored 66 goals and registered 61 assists. He was also named as Manchester City’s Player of the Year back in 2019. Currently, Silva’s weekly salary at City is $371,070 and his annual salary at the club is $19.2 million. If Silva does end up leaving the club next season, it might prove to be a huge loss for Pep Guardiola‘s side.