Bernardo Silva will leave Manchester City when his contract expires at the end of the season
Updated 06/04/2026 at 00:04 GMT+1
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Manchester City assistant manager Pep Lijnders says club icon Bernardo Silva will leave the Etihad at the end of the current campaign when his contract expires. Silva has been at the club for nine years under boss Pep Guardiola, helping City to great success in that time, which has included six Premier League titles and a UEFA Champions League crown.
Highlights: Haaland hat-trick sends Man City to Wembley after Liverpool thrashing
Video credit: TNT Sports
Bernardo Silva will leave Manchester City when his contract expires at the end of the season, according to assistant manager Pep Lijnders.
Speaking after City's emphatic 4-0 Emirates FA Cup quarter-final victory over Liverpool on Saturday, the Dutchman seemed to confirm the Portuguese star's imminent departure.
Silva started that game, his 450th in sky blue, as captain but he appears set to have a maximum of just nine matches left for City.
”When he is not playing you will see how he is missed and that is one game," Lijnders said.
"But every good story comes to an end, and I hope he enjoys the last months – there are only six weeks – and has a good farewell. He deserves all that attention as well."
In his time at the Etihad Stadium, Bernardo Silva has won every competition possible, including six Premier League titles and the UEFA Champions League in 2023.
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Highlights: Haaland hat-trick sends Man City to Wembley after Liverpool thrashing
Video credit: TNT Sports
Signed for an initial £43.5 million three years before David Silva left the Etihad, Bernardo Silva was Manchester City’s player of the season in 2018/19 and took over as City’s midfield metronome after the Spaniard’s departure, twice included in the PFA Team of the Year.
His exit leaves City with only two specialist attacking midfielders - Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki - with Savinho and Tijjani Reijnders also capable of deputising there if required.
Alongside his domestic success, Silva has been a key cog for Portugal since 2015, picking up 107 caps so far and appearing at three World Cups and three European Championships.
He was left out of Portugal’s latest squad for friendlies against Mexico and the United States, but it would be a shock if he is not at the forthcoming 2026 World Cup in America for Roberto Martinez’s side.
Silva started in the final for both of Portugal’s UEFA Nations League triumphs too, and has netted 14 times for his country.
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Silva’s next club is not clear though it would be a surprise if the Saudi Pro League did not come calling, with his compatriots Joao Cancelo, Ruben Neves, Joao Felix and of course Cristiano Ronaldo having also been tempted to the Middle East.
But given Silva will only turn 32 a fortnight before the start of the next Premier League season, he will surely also have suitors closer to home in England and in continental Europe. He has played over 3,000 minutes and counting in 2025/26 and started all but six games in the top flight and UEFA Champions League.
He has the chance to further cement his legacy as a club icon at City by helping Pep Guardiola’s side to a possible treble, with the Carabao Cup already won and live chances remaining in both the Premier League and Emirates FA Cup.
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