Atletico Madrid and Juventus enter transfer battle as Manchester City prepare for Bernardo Silva exit

Atletico Madrid and Juventus have entered the race for Manchester City skipper Bernardo Silva ahead of the summer transfer window, as per a new report.

Silva will be out of contract at the Etihad Stadium at the end of the season, with no indication at present of talks between the 31-year-old and club bosses over a renewal.

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The Portugal international has been one of Pep Guardiola’s most successful signings at the Etihad Stadium, having led Manchester City to a plethora of success on the domestic, European and global fronts since joining from AS Monaco for £43 million in 2017.

It is not the first time Silva has explored a move away from the Etihad Stadium, having previously expressed interest in joining Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain. However, a departure seems inevitable this summer, with Silva out of contract in less than six months’ time.

Manchester City appointed Hugo Viana as director of football last summer to spearhead a thorough remake of the first-team squad in the backdrop of a disappointing 2024-25 season that Guardiola deemed as his most challenging year as a manager.

Silva was handed the armband by Guardiola in the wake of Kyle Walker and Kevin De Bruyne being shown the door, with Manchester City still fighting on four fronts as they embark upon the business end of the season.

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The jury remains out on whether the Blues have the mettle to sustain their silverware aspirations till the end of the campaign but Silva and co have recently turned the corner and look set to challenge a stuttering Arsenal side to the very end of the title race finish line.

Since the start of the season, Silva has publicly admitted on several occasions that he has made his mind up over his club future and with there no murmurs of contract renewal talks happening behind the scenes, one needs to put two and two together.

Benfica is believed to be Silva’s preferred destination at the end of his Manchester City contract, with the playmaker keen to return to his boyhood club despite eye-watering offers standing from the United States and Saudi Arabia.

However, Atletico Madrid and Juventus have also entered the race to fight for the services of the Manchester City captain, with the latter understood to have already made an approach, as reported by TeamTalk.

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Barcelona are cited as long-term admirers, while Atletico Madrid have not formally come to the negotiating table as yet. It also remains to be seen whether Silva would want to move to the middle east as he plans the next chapter of his career.

Silva’s former club AS Monaco have also vested an interest in bringing the six-time Premier League back to the French Riviera, though a formal decision on the Manchester City star’s future is not expected to be made public until the closing stages of the season.

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