Bernardo Silva signs two-year Real Madrid contract after Manchester City exit | OneFootball

Manchester City captain Bernardo Silva has put pen to paper on a two year contract at Real Madrid with the option of a third year, as per a new report.

The update more or less finalises a transfer that had been agreed in principle earlier this month, with Real Madrid having hijacked a move to Barcelona that had appeared destined to go through for the best part of a year.

Silva left Manchester City as a free agent last month following nine years at the Etihad Stadium, during which the Portuguese lifted 20 major honours, including six Premier League titles and the UEFA Champions League as part of the club’s historic 2022-23 treble.

Silva signs two-year Real Madrid deal with extension option

As reported by transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, Silva has put pen to paper on a two year contract at Real Madrid with the option of an additional year – whilst representing Portugal at the FIFA World Cup in north America.

The length of the contract underlines Real Madrid’s intention to use the 31-year-old as both an immediate squad option and a senior voice within Jose Mourinho‘s new-look dressing room, rather than a short-term stopgap arrangement.

Silva’s contract agreement comes just over a week after the deal was first reported, with Madrid’s pursuit having gathered pace rapidly after an initial approach arrived only 36 hours before parties reached terms.

The playmaker is now expected to be confirmed as a Real Madrid player in the coming days, completing a switch Mourinho is understood to have personally pushed for after identifying his compatriot as a priority addition to his rebuild in the Spanish capital.

What does Silva’s exit mean for Man City’s midfield rebuild?

With Silva’s departure now fully tied up, attention turns to how City director of football Hugo Viana fills the creative and leadership void left in central midfield, an issue tied closely to City’s ongoing pursuit of Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson this summer.

The gap in experienced ball progression is one incoming Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca‘s existing midfield options will be expected to share between them for now, with the futures of Tijjani Reijnders, Nico Gonzalez and Mateo Kovacic still unresolved and Nico O’Reilly having to shoulder a heavier creative burden following his breakout campaign.

Whether City’s own business in this area moves with anything like the speed Real Madrid showed for Silva remains to be seen, but the contract signing finally draws a line under a graceful departure, more than a month after Silva described City as “his family” during an emotional farewell speech at the Etihad Stadium.