Man City star Bernardo Silva's €50m offer

FT Desk

• 27 Nov 2022 10:13 GMT
• 3 min read

Bernardo Silva is a long-term transfer target for Barcelona, but Manchester City have no intention of seeing their Portuguese playmaker leave…

Bernardo has starred for City since making his €50 million move from Monaco in the summer of 2017, racking up 50 goals and 56 assists in 273 games and winning four Premier League titles along the way.

But after five years in England, Bernardo made no secret of his desire to return to the Iberian peninsula this summer, and Barca were equally public about their interest in the player.

READ: Pep Guardiola's 10 best Man City signings

City coach Pep Guardiola even admitted he wouldn't stop Bernardo joining his former club, saying "I'm no one to tell Barca to forget about Bernardo," after the two sides played out a 3-3 friendly draw in August.

But Barca, having spent more than €150m on Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Jules Kounde in the summer, didn't have the funds to complete a deal, and City have since changed their mind about letting Bernardo leave.

Having bolted Guardiola down to a new three-year extension recently, the club are now turning their attention to some of their star players, with Bernardo first among them.

READ: Barcelona eye Bernardo Silva and second Man City star

Significant contract offer

"City have no intention of letting Silva go mid-season and have instead offered a new long-term deal that includes a pay hike," report Football Insider. "The whole package is believed to be worth more than £40 million [€46.4m] in total."

Silva's existing deal at the Etihad runs until 2025, so the new contract offer is an expression of City's faith in the player rather than a pressing need to safeguard a significant transfer fee.

Kevin De Bruyne is the only attacking midfielder to have played more minutes than Bernardo for City in the Premier League this season, but whether their faith in him is returned in kind remains to be seen.