Bernardo Silva poised to leave Manchester City as free agent this summer | OneFootball

Manchester City captain Bernardo Silva is set to leave the club when his contract expires at the end of the season, as per a new report.

The 31-year-old was handed the armband by Pep Guardiola last summer upon the departures of Kyle Walker and Kevin De Bruyne as part of a significant revamp of the first-team ranks orchestrated by director of football Hugo Viana.

Silva has said several times publicly that he has made up his mind over his future but that a firm decision relaying his plans will come when the time is right.

Manchester City are still in the running for an unprecedented quadruple in their premier season under Viana, who along with other officials at the Etihad Stadium could likely see Silva bid farewell to the Blues this summer.

What has been reported on Bernardo Silva’s future?

Silva is not understood to be undergoing contract renewal talks with club bosses, as reported by Matteo Moretto, and is set to part ways with Manchester City when his contract runs out in June.

City are understood to be prioritising the signing of a world-class central midfielder in the upcoming transfer window, with Nottingham Forest and England star Elliot Anderson leading the club’s wishlist in the position.

Sine joining Manchester City from AS Monaco for £43 million in 2017, Silva has led the Blues to six Premier League titles, a maiden UEFA Champions League title en route to a historic treble – among a plethora of domestic, European and global silverware.

However, it seems as if the time has come for Silva to move on from the Etihad Stadium and there will certainly not be a dearth of suitors for the Portugal international, who is believed to be keen on a return to Benfica when he leaves Manchester City.

Is Pep Guardiola optimistic over Bernardo Silva staying at Manchester City?

Guardiola has extolled the virtues of Silva since the start of the season, hailing the playmaker as one of the greatest players he has had the fortune of working with throughout his managerial career.

The Catalan famously stated in the 2018-19 season that Silva would remain with him during the entirety of his stint at Manchester City – and with Guardiola also facing question marks over his future, the Etihad Stadium could witness a series of notable exits ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.

After a 2-0 win over Wolves in January, Guardiola said: “I’d love for Manchester City, for myself, if Bernardo Silva could stay forever. But we spoke a lot with Bernie and Bernie has to decide the best for him and his family.”

Put two and two together and read between the lines and it does seem that Guardiola and his coaching staff, along with Viana and the wider Manchester City board, have indeed been informed by Silva’s representatives that he would like to leave when his contract expires.

Could Bernardo Silva put pen to paper and commit his future to Manchester City?

It seems highly unlikely that Silva will make a U-turn on his current stance and put pen to paper at the Etihad Stadium – purely because had the Portuguese been keen to stay on at City, a renewal would likely have already been reached and announced.

Ilkay Gundogan waited until after he lifted the treble as Manchester City captain in 2023 before he announced that he would be joining Barcelona as a free agent – although he returned to Manchester 12 months later.

Silva saw his good friend De Bruyne announce his departure from City exactly a year ago in early March 2025 – a few months prior to the end of the 2024-25 season – but the club captain is seemingly not wanting to cause any distractions away from City’s pursuit of silverware – and will likely announce an exit in May.