Manchester City star with 348 appearances ‘will leave at the end of the season’ – Player ‘crazy’ about La Liga switch

Premier League champions Manchester City are reportedly set to see iconic playmaker Bernardo Silva finally bring an end to his stay at the Etihad Stadium.

The Portugal international has been eyeing a move away from Manchester City for a number of seasons, with the understanding being that the midfielder wants a move closer to home and closer to the cultures of his native country.

Despite falling out of love with the lifestyle on offer in Manchester and England, Bernardo Silva has continued to perform to the very highest standards, with his potential suitors unable to sanction a deal to the levels targeted by City bosses.

Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain have both been linked with moves for Bernardo Silva in recent seasons, while the last summer transfer window saw an ambitious approach from Saudi Arabia, with his former teammates Aymeric Laporte and Riyad Mahrez making similar moves.

However, this summer appears to be the time for Bernardo Silva to finally bring an end to his seven-year stay with Manchester City, as a flurry of information ties him with a move to La Liga and Catalan giants Barcelona.

That is firstly according to a staggering claim from Portuguese journalist Pedro Almeida, who states that Bernardo Silva will leave Manchester City at the end of ongoing 2023/24 season.

Furthermore, and according to the information of notable Barcelona-focussed journalist Gerard Romero, Silva’s entourage are ‘trying to make moves’ regarding a move to the La Liga giants ahead of the reopening of the transfer market this summer.

Additional reporting from reliable SPORT journalist Ferran Correas, Bernardo Silva is ‘crazy’ to join Barcelona during the upcoming market, so much so that he is reportedly willing to ‘reduce his wages’.

While the Manchester City playmaker is claimed to feel as though he would fit ‘perfectly’ at the Catalan club, the feeling from within the Camp Nou side’s offices is that should they ‘get back at 1:1’ through a ‘good’ sale of their own this summer, then ‘they can go for him’.

Offering insight into Barcelona’s 1:1 rule, Mundo Deportivo’s Fernando Polo has explained, “A framework in which it can have the capacity to return to the transfer market… That is, each euro earned in transfers can also be used, without restrictions, to make contracts.”

Negotiations may be made easier for Barcelona and Manchester City this summer, with the Premier League champions including a release clause in Bernardo Silva’s agreement last summer, when the Portuguese playmaker extended his deal at the Etihad Stadium.

While that agreement shut down transfer speculation for another 12 months, it is now widely believed that the former AS Monaco man has a release clause worth in the region of £50 million that becomes active in the coming months.

As such, that means that should any club approach Manchester City with a willingness to pay that fee, then the decision will be largely taken out of their hands, and left up to Bernardo Silva himself as to whether he wishes to make the move or not.