“As of Friday” – Manchester City insider provides update on Bernardo Silva’s future | OneFootball

Manchester City can still expect to retain Bernardo Silva into the 2025/26 season, according to one club insider amid links concerning the midfielder and Benfica.

The Portugal international is among a long list of names whose futures at the Etihad Stadium have been thrown into serious doubt following a season that has seen Manchester City firmly pushed out of the race for the biggest honours available to them.

A mixture of fitness and injury problems, as well as a clear lack of legs and energy in crucial areas of the pitch, has meant Pep Guardiola and his players are now confined to competing for a place in next season’s UEFA Champions League and the possibility of an FA Cup triumph.

Those reduced ambitions means that the upcoming summer transfer window is arguably the most crucial in the club’s recent history since the lead-up to the 2017/18 campaign, with Hugo Viana and Txiki Begiristain putting together a brutal assessment of the first-team.

Kevin De Bruyne has become the first casualty of that analysis as the Belgian will leave upon the expiry of his contract this summer, despite a clear feeling from within that he is still able to compete at the highest level.

And among the other names who could join the 33-year-old is Bernardo Silva – a core cog of Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering system since his arrival in 2017 from AS Monaco, but now tipped for a return to Benfica by some in Portugal and English media.

However, according to the information of Manchester City insider ‘Tolmie’s Hairdoo’ on X, Bernardo Silva has not spoken to Pep Guardiola about his future at the Etihad, as of Friday, and ‘does not know’ where stories linking himself to Benfica have come from.

It is further explained that the 30-year-old is ‘comfortable’ about his situation and has no offers from potential suitors, while both he and his family are continuing to plan for a final year in Manchester.

The legendary Portuguese midfielder has previously admitted his desire to return to his boyhood club at some stage of his career, although it remains to be seen whether a further challenge at the summit of the European game awaits beyond Manchester City.

Despite some critics over Silva’s performances at times this season, it is unquestionable how important the versatile midfielder is to Pep Guardiola, who remains a huge fan of what the player brings to his side, particularly in terms of experience.

Manchester City recruitment officials and those in squad planning positions will also be conscious of making too much change in one transfer window, and may opt to retain some of the club’s most experienced stars to ease the transition and help new faces settle quicker.