Bernardo Silva's next club: Three teams who could sign Man City legend after summer exit confirmed

Bernardo Silva has announced that he will be leaving Manchester City when his contract expires at the end of the season, bringing an end to an illustrious nine-year career at the Etihad Stadium.

The 31-year-old midfielder will go down as a club legend on the blue side of Manchester having played an integral role in Pep Guardiola’s team during a hugely successful era.

Bernardo has played more times for Man City than any other player under Guardiola (450) since joining from Monaco for around £43m in July 2017, scoring 76 goals and registering 77 assists.

The 107-cap Portugal international has won 19 trophies with Man City to date, including six Premier League titles, two FA Cup triumphs, five EFL Cups and one Champions League during the club’s historic treble-winning campaign in 2022-23.

Bernardo most recently lifted his first trophy as captain of the Citizens after beating Arsenal 2-0 in the EFL Cup final at Wembley last month, and there is a possibility that he goes out on a real high with another Premier League and FA Cup triumph at the end of this season.

Speculation over Bernardo’s future has been rife for more than 12 months, and despite Guardiola’s wishes for the midfielder to stay, it has now been confirmed that the club will “take the time to deliver a fitting tribute and farewell to a wonderful servant of Manchester City Football Club at the end of the season.”

"A Man City supporter for life": Bernardo Silva's farewell statement in full

In a statement, Man City have said that Bernardo "will be deservedly remembered both as one of City’s finest and most popular players of all time", while the player himself has taken to social media to confirm his departure this summer.

A post in Instagram read: “Cityzens, When I arrived 9 years ago, I was following a dream of a little boy, wanting to succeed in life, wanting to achieve great things.”

“This city and this club gave me much more than that, much more than I ever hoped for. What we won and achieved together is a legacy that will forever be cherished in my heart. The Centurions, the domestic quadruple, the Treble, the Four-In-A-Row and much more… It wasn’t that bad ?

“In a few months it’s time to say goodbye to the city where not only we won so much as a football club, but also where I started my marriage and my family. From the bottom of my heart, Ines and Carlota, thank you!

“To the fans, your unconditional support throughout the years is something that I will never forget. My main goal as a player was to always play with passion so you guys could feel proud and well represented on the pitch.

“I hope you felt that every single game. I arrived as a Man City player, I leave as one more of you, a Man City supporter for life. Keep supporting this young team and I’m pretty sure they will bring you a lot of new fantastic memories in the future.

“To the club, Pep, the staff and all my teammates these 9 years, thank you for all the memories and for letting me be a part of this journey for so long. The atmosphere we created every day in the training ground made me feel at home and a part of a big family.

“Let’s enjoy together these last weeks and fight for what this season still brings us. Love you all, Bernardo.”

Three clubs are strong contenders to sign Bernardo this summer

As things stand, it appears that three clubs are best placed to sign Bernardo as a free agent ahead of the new season, and one of those is La Liga champions-elect Barcelona.

It has previously been reported that a move to the Catalan giants is Bernardo’s preference, as the midfielder is keen to test himself in Spain before he enters the latter stages of his career.

Barca would approve the Portuguese’s arrival having pursued him in previous seasons, but it remains to be seen whether Hansi Flick’s side have the finances to offer a soon-to-be 32-year-old a big-money multi-year contract.

Italian giants Juventus are another club said to hold a strong interest in Bernardo and are understood to have contacted the player agent Jorge Mendes.

When asked directly about a potential move for Bernardo, Juve sporting director Damien Comolli told reporters: “Bernardo Silva and (Liverpool’s Alisson Becker]? I won’t name names (smiles), but yes, Juve always has the allure of attracting champions.

“What’s surprised me so far is that no player we’ve spoken to has said, ‘I’ll only come if you reach the Champions League.’ Players want to come to Juventus because it’s Juventus.”

Meanwhile, an emotional return to boyhood club Benfica could also be on the cards, as Bernardo has previously stated that he would like to complete "a career and life goal" by returning to Lisbon-based side before he decides to retire.

Bernardo, born in Lisbon, came through Benfica’s academy and made just three senior appearances for the club before joining Monaco in 2014.