Bernardo Silva made top transfer priority for Saudi Arabia club this summer | OneFootball

Manchester City are expecting to see Bernardo Silva once again linked with moves away from the Etihad Stadium this summer, as Saudi Arabia emerges as a potential suitor.

The Portugal international’s club future has been a recurring theme of speculation since 2020, when the midfielder was keen on a move to Barcelona, which could have materialised were it not for the Spanish side’s financial restraints following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since then, Bernardo Silva has seemingly retained a desire of moving closer to his homeland of Portugal and after eight seasons in England, it could finally be the end of the midfielder’s time at the Etihad Stadium.

A 2017 signing from AS Monaco for £43 million, Silva has likely gone above and beyond the expectations of the Manchester City board, managerial staff and fanbase and has arguably been Pep Guardiola’s most important, value-for-money signing at the club to date.

A big summer exodus is in the mix at the Etihad as new director of football Hugo Viana looks to introduce fresh faces in the dressing room to give Guardiola the ammunition he needs to challenge on all fronts next season, particularly after a sub-standard 2024/25 campaign.

Two months on from informing Kevin De Bruyne to find a new club, Manchester City marked the beginning of a change in guard with the arrival of Algerian left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri from Wolves for an initial fee of £31.7 million.

Manchester City will announce the signing of Tijjani Reijnders on Tuesday – deadline day for the ongoing 10-day transfer window – after the Netherlands midfielder passed a medical over the weekend to complete a transfer from AC Milan.

City have also reached a full agreement with Lyon and Chelsea for France international Rayan Cherki and English goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli, and will aim to confirm the duo’s arrivals before the transfer deadline to have them available for the FIFA Club World Cup.

The influx of new incomings is likely to witness further exits from the current Manchester City squad and after De Bruyne was told he was not part of the club’s plans next season, Bernardo Silva could also be heading for the exit door.

According to the information of journalist Santi Aouna, Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal have now made Bernardo Silva a top priority on their shortlist of options this summer transfer window, but are yet to make any official bid to Manchester City for the player.

With 12 months left on his contract, the 30-year-old is unlikely to pen a new deal and commit his long-term future to the 2023 treble winners as Manchester City also consider their stance on the Portugal international, who has clocked over 400 appearances in sky blue.

City could look to cash in on the six-time Premier League winner should an offer arrive that is too good to turn down for a player they will lose for nothing should they allow Bernardo Silva to enter the final year of his contract as the summer progresses.