Real Madrid have jumped to the front of the queue in the race for Bernardo Silva.
The Manchester City playmaker has a £50million buy-out clause in his Etihad contract, which is sparking significant transfer interest in him ahead of the summer window. Europe’s giants, including Real, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Arsenal, are all monitoring the situation closely.
However, if he is to leave, Portuguese midfielder Silva, a £60million buy from Monaco in 2017, is thought to favour Spain. And with Barcelona struggling to raise the money to finance a deal, the door is open for Real to swoop.
Silva, 29, missed a crucial penalty in City’s Champions League quarter-final shoot-out defeat to the La Liga leaders last Wednesday. But that has done nothing to put them off the versatile former-Monaco man, so integral to City’s all-conquering era under Pep Guardiola.
With Luka Modric’s Bernabeu career drawing to a close, they recognise the need for more experience in a brilliant, yet relatively young set-up. Silva, who has won five league titles at City, as well as the Champions League, two FA Cups and four League Cups, is regarded as a perfect fit.
He remains happy at City and has no intention of joining another Premier League rival – ruling out Mikel Arteta ’s Arsenal. However, it does seem inevitable Silva will head abroad sooner rather than later – and that Real are now primed to win the scrap.
