A long-serving Manchester City midfielder is now giving serious consideration to a move to the Saudi Pro League next summer, according to a report.
A long-serving Manchester City midfielder is now giving serious consideration to a move to the Saudi Pro League next summer, according to a report.
The Citizens have been busy securing the futures of some of their most prized assets of late, most recently tying Nico O’Reilly down to a new long-term deal until the summer of 2030.
Pep Guardiola has also seen fellow defenders Rico Lewis and Ruben Dias pen fresh terms, with the former extending until 2030 and Dias prolonging his stay until the end of the 2028-29 season.
Experienced defender John Stones is also expected to open talks over a renewal in due course, as City chairman Khaldoon Al-Mubarak does his utmost to avoid losing the England international for nothing in the summer of 2026.
However, fellow Sky Blues stalwart Bernardo Silva is also due to become a free agent at the end of the season, and as things stand, there is no extension in sight for the Portuguese playmaker.
Man City transfer news: Silva ‘considering’ Saudi Pro League switch
According to talkSPORT, Silva is now weighing up a potential move to Saudi Arabia on a free transfer in several months’ time, having held ‘on-off’ talks with intermediaries for the past two years.
Al-Hilal allegedly offered Silva a staggering £500,000-a-week deal to leave the Etihad in the summer of 2023, but the midfielder turned his nose up to the Middle Eastern giants and signed his most recent contract extension in August of that year.
The Saudi Pro League came calling again in the most recent summer transfer window, but with one eye on the 2026 World Cup, Silva pledged his allegiance to Guardiola’s side for at least one more season.
However, a move to the Gulf state in 2026 is now viewed as a genuine possibility given that Silva will be approaching 32 by the time the 2025-26 season ends, and Saudi chiefs are said to be specifically targeting Portuguese talents to follow in Cristiano Ronaldo’s footsteps.
Ronaldo’s move to Al-Nassr in early 2023 triggered a spike in international TV revenues thanks to the origination of an ‘established audience’ in Portugal, and the Saudi Pro League intend to carry on capitalising on increased viewership even after Ronaldo’s retirement.
Silva to Saudi Pro League: Which clubs are most likely to sign him?
After Silva said thanks but no thanks to Al-Hilal in 2023, the Blue Waves are reportedly unlikely to come back in for the 31-year-old, who has instead received enquiries from two other Saudi Pro League teams.
Al Ahli are believed to have touched base to gauge Silva’s interest in a move to Jeddah, where he would play alongside former City teammate Riyad Mahrez, Roberto Firmino, Ivan Toney, Franck Kessie and Edouard Mendy.
Upstarts Al Quadisiya – who employ Silva’s compatriot Otavio as well as Koen Casteels, Mateo Retegui and ex-Real Madrid defender Nacho – have also supposedly shown an interest in taking the Man City midfielder on a free transfer next summer.
Including three Community Shields, Silva has won 17 major honours since joining Man City from Monaco in the summer of 2017, including six Premier League titles and the Champions League.
The playmaker has registered 72 goals and 74 assists in 414 matches for the Sky Blues over the past eight years, but he was only a late substitute in Saturday’s 5-1 thrashing of Burnley in the Premier League.
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