Manchester City insider names academy graduate who will dictate Hugo Viana’s 2026 transfer strategy | OneFootball

Manchester City could be in the market for another right-sided forward in 2026 as uncertainty looms over the future of Bernardo Silva, as per a new report.

Silva has been allowed to enter the final year of his current deal at the Etihad Stadium, with the 31-year-old attracting interest from Saudi Arabia and Portugal as he assesses offers and makes a decision on his future.

City are yet to offer a renewal offer to their captain, who has previously come close to joining Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain amid a long-held desire of moving closer to his homeland in Portugal.

Benfica are doing everything in their power to bring their academy graduate back to Portugal, though Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola and executives at the Etihad Stadium – led by newly-appointed director of football Hugo Viana – are not expected to walk away without putting up a fight to keep hold of the six-time Premier League.

Since his arrival to England from AS Monaco in the summer of 2017, Silva has represented the best of Manchester City under Guardiola and played an instrumental role in the success the Blues have enjoyed during the most successful period in the club’s history.

Guardiola famously remarked in 2019 that Silva would remain with him throughout his managerial stint at the Etihad Stadium, with the Catalan himself putting pen to paper and signing a contract till 2027 last fall.

There remains question marks over Silva’s future at Manchester City and the Portugal international will be allowed to formally negotiate terms of a contract with suitor clubs from January 1 2026 – by which time it is unlikely that City present a contract offer to Silva.

Kevin De Bruyne was shown the door by Viana and co this summer as there was a belief that the Belgian was past his prime and didn’t warrant being the highest paid player at the club alongside Erling Haaland – eventually leading to the 34-year-old joining Napoli on a free transfer.

City are expected to continue behind-the-scenes talks with Silva and his agent Jorge Mendes as the 2025-26 season progresses, with no immediate resolution on his future expected as the Blues look to challenge Liverpool and Arsenal for the Premier League title and compete for the UEFA Champions League.

Mail Sport’s Jack Gaughan has reported that Manchester City are unlikely to bring in a new forward in January but the prospect of losing Silva on a free transfer next summer has attracted links to Bayern Munich and France winger Michael Olise.

However, the report mentions that City’s transfer strategy to replace Silva – should he leave in 2026 – will hinge on how academy graduate Oscar Bobb fares as the season goes on – and whether the injury-riddled Norway star does enough to convince Guardiola and Manchester City bosses that he can mitigate a loss as notable as Silva’s will be at the Etihad Stadium.

In addition to De Bruyne, Manchester City bid farewell to Ilkay Gundogan and Ederson in the summer as Viana conducted a major rejig of Guardiola’s squad and streamlined the group make way for seven new signings. Silva could follow De Bruyne, Gundogan and Ederson through the exit door in nine months.