Watching Kevin De Bruyne bid an emotional farewell to the Etihad last summer, Manchester City supporters will wave goodbye to yet another of their modern era icons this month.
Helping Pep Guardiola’s side to an eighth FA Cup crown at Wembley on Saturday afternoon as they Sky Blues clinched a late 1-0 victory against historic rivals Chelsea, Bernardo Silva has announced that he will be drawing a line under nine-year spell at the Etihad.
Although the Portuguese superstar might have his sole focus fixed on trying to help City complete a real miracle over the next week and somehow recapture their Premier League crown, discussions over his future have certainly intensified over the past few weeks.
With just one more appearance at the Etihad pencilled in for next weekend as City sign off the 2025/26 campaign with a showdown against Europa League finalists Aston Villa, Silva will be hoping to have his next adventure sorted before jetting off to this summer’s World Cup in North America.
While Silva might have stated that he has no interest in playing for another Premier League and confirming that he will also bid a farewell to England’s elite, there has been plenty of speculation as to where City’s playmaking superstar will end up ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.
Silva leaves Manchester as a modern era icon
Although there might have been plenty of speculation over the past few years regarding Silva’s position at the Etihad, Guardiola appointed the 31-year-old as his official club captain this season and the Portuguese playmaker has cemented his spot as a modern era icon in the blue half of Manchester.
Cementing his spot as a major fan favourite since arriving from Monaco for a reported fee of £43million way back in 2017, Silva has been one of the key factors in City’s decade of dominance.
Leading City out at Wembley on Saturday afternoon and helping the Citizens to a history-making eighth FA Cup crown thanks to a nervy 1-0 victory against Chelsea, that was remarkably the 16th major honour that the one-time Benfica starlet has claimed during his nine-year spell at the Etihad.
Likewise, writing himself into City folklore back in 2023 as the Sky Blues got their hands on a maiden Champions League crown, Silva has also remarkably claimed six separate domestic crowns and four consecutive Premier League titles between 2021 and 2024.
In fact, Silva is the only player from City’s modern era in the top 10 of the club’s all-time appearances list and is currently sits in seventh-place after leapfrogging Mike Summerbee last month.
Officially announcing in an emotional post on April 16th that he will be leaving the Etihad when his current contract expires this summer, City’s industrious icon will certainly be given a heroes farewell.
Manchester City can confirm Bernardo Silva will leave the Club this summer.
— Manchester City (@ManCity) April 16, 2026
The race for Silva heats up
While Silva might be set to turn 32 in August, it is no secret that the Portuguese international has a string of high-profile admirers from across the continent and isn’t short of options.
Potentially looking to get his domestic future sorted before travelling over to North America for this summer’s World Cup, the 107-cap international is also keen on extending his stay in Europe.
Despite the option to take a bank-breaking payday in the Middle East, reports have continued to suggest that Silva has no interest in cashing in his chips and has also ruled out a potentially lucrative MLS switch.
Alongside speculation over what would be an emotional return to boyhood club Benfica this summer, the likes of newly-crowned Spanish champions Barcelona have been keeping close tabs on proceedings and are assessing the financial package that they would be able to offer.
However, watching fellow Manchester City icon Kevin De Bruyne complete a blockbuster move to Italian giants Napoli last summer, it has been suggested that Silva could follow his former teammate to Serie A and Juventus are the latest European giants to express their interest.
Although Turkish giants Galatasaray might also remain in the race to complete what would be a major coup, both Corriere dello Sport and Tuttosport reported over the weekend that the Turin hierarchy have already held initial discussions with Silva’s representatives.
🚨👀 Bernardo Silva confirms story from March: “Yes, I want to decide my next club BEFORE the World Cup”.
“I’d like to arrive with Portugal with my future already settled”, told Canal 11. pic.twitter.com/grmPQxJzeQ
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 15, 2026