SILVA AND GOLD FOR MIDFIELD LINCHPIN
BERNARDO SILVA is to be offered a massive new deal by Man City – to persuade the Portuguese ace to commit to the club long-term.
Silva, 28 earlier this month, still has three years left on his current £150,000-a-week contract with the champions.
However, City boss Pep Guardiola sees him as a vital cog within his squad and has told the club to reward that importance with a bumper, doublehis-money extension.
Throughout this summer there has been constant speculation surrounding Silva’s future – with Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain chasing his services.
City slapped an £80million price on their Portuguese midfielder to kill off interest from two of Europe’s top clubs. And it appears to have done the trick – for now.
But while Guardiola will be relieved to hold on to one of his leading figures, he is fed up having this situation arise every time a transfer window opens
This time last year, Silva also appeared on his way out of the club, with AC Milan and Atletico Madrid in pursuit as his position in the City starting line-up looked in doubt.
But the former Monaco man, who cost £55m in July 2017, fought his way back into the team and helped secure a fourth league title in five years.
That’s why the City hierarchy are happy to back their Catalan coach – by trying to tie down Silva for his peak years.
Hence the massive increase in salary that will be on the table for the former Benfica playmaker when they sit down to discuss his future.
The new terms would catapult Silva, who has 70 Portugal caps, to third on the list of top earners at The Etihad – behind Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland, who earn a basic £400,000 and £350,000 every week, respectively.