Manchester City are ready to hand midfielder Bernardo Silva a six-year contract extension in an attempt to ward off interest from Real Madrid and Barcelona, according to The Sun.
The newspaper claims that the Portugal international currently earns around £100,000-per-week, but will be offered almost double that to near-£200,000-a-week in a bid to prolong his stay at the Etihad Stadium.
The former Monaco man is said to have hinted to the club’s top brass that he wants to remain in Manchester, meaning any new deal should be a straightforward affair.
Madrid, in particular, are thought to be extremely interested in a player who has enjoyed one of the finest seasons in Europe this campaign. Barcelona are also keen on the 24-year-old.
OPINION
It is vitally important for City that they get Bernardo tied down for as long as possible. He has arguably been the club’s best player this season and is nigh on undroppable for Pep Guardiola. It has been a joy watching him play this term, because not only is he absolutely sublime going forward, but he is tremendously dedicated in his defensive duties as well. He is often the City player to have run furthest on any given match day. When someone’s playing as well as he has it’s natural for Madrid and Barca to come sniffing. However, why would you want to leave City at the moment? It will be interesting to see what would happen if one of La Liga’s big two did make a serious move for Bernardo. Would City be able to keep one of their prized assets away from Spain’s elite? Still, it looks as if Bernardo wants to stay at City and that’s phenomenal news for the club.