Bernardo Silva told he can leave Manchester City by Pep Guardiola - but not until the summer
Silva has been told he can follow international team-mate Joao Cancelo through the Man City exit door in 2023
Bernardo Silva has been told he can leave Manchester City in 2023, but will have to wait until the summer to get a move.
That is according to various media outlets, who report that the Manchester City playmaker will now be staying at the Etihad til the end of the season. It had earlier been rumoured that the Portugal international would be allowed to leave in January – a story which had set a number of Europe's elite clubs on high alert.
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Silva is reportedly unsettled at City, following five-and-a-half glittering years at the reigning Premier League champions. His tenacious performances have been key in helping deliver four league titles, an FA Cup and four League Cups. However, in recent months, tabloids have reported a growing dissatisfaction from Silva's camp. Guardiola famously will not tolerate unhappy players in his dressing room and has told Silva he can leave.
A similar situation unfolded earlier this week, with Sila's club and country team-mate Joao Cancelo, who has been shipped out to Bayern after almost five years at the club. The defender had reportedly grown unhappy a his playing time, after not featuring in any of City's last three fixtures. Cancelo has joined the Bundesliga giants on loan until the end of the season, with an option to make the deal permanent.
Silva has grown into one of Guardiola's most important players in recent seasons, but is thought to be open to a new challenge. Arsenal and Manchester United are among the domestic sides to have shown an interest, yet many feel a move to La Liga giants Barcelona or Ligue 1 side PSG would be the likelier outcomes of a summer transfer.
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Ed is a staff writer at FourFourTwo, working across the magazine and website. A German speaker, he’s been working as a football reporter in Berlin since 2015, predominantly covering the Bundesliga and Germany's national team. Favourite FFT features include an exclusive interview with Jude Bellingham following the youngster’s move to Borussia Dortmund in 2020, a history of the Berlin Derby since the fall of the Wall and a celebration of Kevin Keegan’s playing career.