‘Benfica won’t pay Bernardo Silva release after contact to advance Man City exodus’
Bernardo Silva could join a potential mass exodus from Man City this summer after Benfica made contact with his representatives over a return to his first professional club.
In light of Kevin de Bruyne announcing his departure from the club, Man City could see multiple other first-team players follow the attacking midfielder out of the door this summer.
Pep Guardiola’s side currently sit fifth in the league, with it confirmed this will be enough to secure Champions League football, just one-point above Chelsea in sixth.
However amidst the all important run-in, the Portuguese playmaker is the latest to be linked with a move away from Manchester, with Benfica keen to bring their academy graduate back to the club.
Benfica ‘unwilling’ to pay Bernardo Silva’s release clause
However, according to The Times, Benfica are not willing to pay Silva’s €50million (£42.6m) release clause.
His current deal at the Etihad has one year left to run, but his camp has been sounded out to see whether the 30-year-old would be interested in going back to the Lisbon club.
Silva, who came through Benfica’s academy, could therefore leave Man City at the end of the season as part of a rebuild.
| Silva’s stats for Man City 24/25 |
| Games – 41 |
| Goals – 3 |
| Assists – 4 |
A huge summer ahead for Man City
Football Insider Verdict
It feels as though this summer will be a huge one for Man City if they are to complete a rebuild which sees them compete for the Premier League title next year.
With De Bruyne confirmed and the likes of Silva, Ederson, Grealish and others linked heavily with moves away, the club need to get it right.
Looking back, Man City’s significant outlay in the January transfer window, showed signs of a club that knew many could be heading for an exit this summer.
| Man City January singings | Fee |
| Omar Marmoush | £64m |
| Nico Gonzalez | £51m |
| Abdukodir Khusanov | £35m |
| Vitor Reis | £24m |
Having spent nearly £174m on Omar Marmoush, Nico Gonzalez, Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis it means they have already started the process.
The difficulty for Guardiola will be to find the correct personnel that can not only match the side’s current technical qualities, but also replace the leadership shown from De Bruyne and Silva in the event he moves on.