Bernardo Silva to delay transfer decision until after World Cup, agent confirms

Bernardo Silva will put his club future on hold until after the 2026 World Cup, his agent Jorge Mendes has confirmed, leaving the 31-year-old without a destination despite departing Manchester City at the end of his contract. Mendes told transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano simply: “Bernardo will decide after World Cup.”

The Portuguese playmaker ended a ten-year spell at the Etihad Stadium when the Premier League season concluded, choosing not to sign a new deal. He leaves as one of City’s most decorated players and, according to manager Pep Guardiola’s usage records, the most relied-upon member of the squad throughout his time there.

Silva was visibly emotional on the final day of the season, City’s home fixture against Aston Villa serving as a farewell for several long-serving players. “I didn’t sleep that well last night,” he admitted afterwards. “I wasn’t really in very good condition to play — I started crying a lot in the dressing room, which for a game isn’t very good.”

He added: “This group of people are just a family for me. The love that we got from these guys — I doubt I will ever get it again. What we were part of was something truly special and this will forever be my family, my second home.”

With his future unresolved, Silva will now focus on Portugal’s World Cup campaign in North America this summer. He has earned 107 caps for his country but has yet to progress beyond the quarter-finals of a major tournament.

Barcelona have maintained a long-standing interest in the midfielder and are understood to remain keen. A sentimental return to Benfica, the Lisbon club where he began his career before moving to Monaco and then City in 2017, has also been floated as a possibility. No formal agreement with any club has been reported.