Bernardo Silva hasn’t told me he is leaving Manchester City, says Pep Guardiola

Bernardo Silva hasn’t told me he is leaving Manchester City, says Pep Guardiola

• Guardiola says he is ‘so grumpy” with Bernardo Silva for not yet telling him his future plans
• The City manager had requested to be the first person informed when Silva reaches a decision
• Silva is expected to leave the Etihad Stadium as a free agent when his contract expires in June

Manchester City captain Bernardo Silva is set to leave the Etihad Stadium when his contract expires in June, with the Portugal international yet to formally communicate his future plans to manager Pep Guardiola.

The 31-year-old has been at Manchester City for nine years since joining from AS Monaco for £43 million in 2017 and has long harboured a desire to return closer to his homeland.

Fabrizio Romano confirmed his departure as a certainty in recent weeks, with Silva understood to have selected Barcelona as his preferred next destination. Juventus have also made formal contact with his agent Jorge Mendes over a potential switch to Turin.

Bernardo Silva’s Manchester City exit confirmed by Pep Lijnders after Liverpool FA Cup win

Assistant manager Pep Lijnders confirmed Silva’s exit in the aftermath of City’s 4-0 FA Cup quarter-final win over Liverpool last weekend, hailing the outgoing captain as ‘unique’ and insisting no direct replacement can be found in the transfer market.

“Every good story comes to an end,” Lijnders said, while stressing just how acutely Silva’s absence will be felt across the seasons to come. Despite the near-universal acceptance of what lies ahead, the man at the centre of it all has yet to formally declare his intentions – leaving his own manager still waiting for the call he was promised.

Guardiola: I’m so grumpy with Bernardo

Speaking in a press conference on Friday afternoon ahead of Sunday’s Premier League trip to Chelsea, Guardiola lifted the lid on a playful exchange with Silva over his future with characteristic wit and warmth.

“I’m so grumpy with Bernardo Silva because one month ago I said, ‘When you take a decision (on your future), I have to be the first to be told’,” Guardiola said.

“And he didn’t say to me anything yet. I said, jokingly, ‘Tell me, I deserve’, but he didn’t tell me! So I don’t know what’s going on.”

What is the wider context for Silva’s departure?

Silva has won six Premier League titles, the UEFA Champions League, the FA Cup and a host of other honours during his nine years in Manchester – cementing himself as one of the most decorated players in the club’s modern history and a central figure in Guardiola’s era at the Etihad Stadium.

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His desire for a fresh challenge has been well-documented since as far back as 2022, with City fighting hard to retain him on multiple occasions before accepting that this summer represents the natural end of an extraordinary chapter.

With just six weeks of the season remaining and City chasing a domestic treble, Silva will have every opportunity to add to his already remarkable haul of silverware before his time in sky blue draws to a close.

Director of football Hugo Viana will meanwhile continue preparations for a busy summer window in which replacing the irreplaceable will be among the most pressing challenges on his desk – whether or not Silva has made that phone call to his manager yet.