Beloved by Manchester City fans and teammates alike, Bernardo Silva has impressed ever since he burst onto the scene at AS Monaco all those years ago.
Bought in 2017, the 26-year-old has accrued 201 appearances for the Premier League champions in his time at the Etihad, scoring 35 goals and assisting another 44.
Used all over the field by Pep Guardiola, the Portuguese playmaker has seen nearly all there is to see at Manchester City, which is why talk of an exit, while a long way off, might not be entirely surprising.
Foot Mercato are reporting the news via their journalist Santi Aouna, who reports that Bernardo Silva is ‘ready to leave Manchester City in order to join Atlético Madrid’.
🚨 Info : Comme annoncé fin mai, Bernardo Silva 🇵🇹 est prêt à quitter Manchester City pour rejoindre l’Atlético Madrid.
Saúl Ñíguez 🇪🇸 pourrait lui aussi partir. L’Espagnol intéresse Manchester City, le #PSG, ainsi que d'autres clubs européens comme l'a évoqué @FabrizioRomano. https://t.co/Iu4jRMf4kI pic.twitter.com/Lpjfs9EFMU — Santi' FM (@Santi_J_FM) June 16, 2021
Diego Simeone’s side are fresh off a La Liga win and looking to bolster their squad considerably in order to remain competitive, and it appears the Portugal international, who played 79 minutes of his country’s 3-0 win over Hungary on Tuesday, is in their plans going forward.
Considering how popular Silva is and the fact his current contract at Manchester City is valid until 2025, this seems like more hope than anything from Atlético, but you never know in football.
