Bernardo Silva calls ‘time out’ at Man City

Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva has reportedly revealed that his time at the Etihad Stadium will come to an end after the current season, when his contract expires.

Bernardo Silva joined City in May 2017 from French Ligue 1 side AS Monaco, finalising his move to the Premier League shortly after helping Monaco win the Ligue 1 title.

The Portuguese midfielder signed a five-year contract with the Manchester club, becoming one of Pep Guardiola’s first major signings of the 2017 summer transfer window.

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The 31-year-old has since won 18 trophies with the Cityzens, including six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, five League Cups (Carabao Cup), one Champions League, two FIFA Club World Cups, and two Community Shield trophies.

According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano on Easter Sunday, Bernardo Silva will leave Manchester City in June as a free agent, with the player informing the club.

Fabrizio further adds that the news was publicly released and confirmed by City’s assistant coach, Pep Lijnders, after their emphatic 4-0 FA Cup victory over Liverpool on Saturday.

Since joining Man City in 2017, the Portuguese international has made 450 appearances, while recording 76 goals in all competitions in his nine-year successful career in England.

Silva took over the captain’s armband this season after the departure of Kevin De Bruyne in the summer, and has since made 43 appearances across all competitions this season, scoring three goals and adding five assists.

Confirming Silva’s exit in the summer, Lijnders told reporters: “You never replace a player with the same kind of player because they don’t exist.

“Bernardo Silva is unique. The way he controls games, the way he moves, the way he receives, the way he leads, the way he sees the solutions. All these things.

“But it will be hard because, as I said, in the game, when he is not playing you will see how he is missed, and that’s one game. Imagine a season.

“But every good story comes to an end, and I hope he enjoys the last months, there are only six weeks, and has a good farewell.

“He deserves all that attention as well.”

The diminutive midfielder is expected to pick his next destination before the 2026 World Cup starts – Serie A giants, Juventus, are reportedly keen on securing his signature, and are known to be monitoring his situation.

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