Benfica presidential candidate Joao Noronha Lopes has confirmed his ambitious plan to lure Bernardo Silva back to his boyhood club from Manchester City.
The 31-year-old has entered the final year of his contract at the Etihad Stadium and has been tipped to leave the Citizens ever since publicly stating in January 2023 that he would be keen to begin a "new project".
Bernardo has made it clear in the past that he intends to complete "a career and life goal" by returning to Benfica before he decides to retire.
The Lisbon-born playmaker, who has entered his ninth season at Man City, revealed in June that he had “options” to leave this summer, before suggesting that the 2025-26 campaign could be his last at the club following confirmation of his new captaincy role.
Bernardo remains an important cog in Pep Guardiola’s machine, but he will be free to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with foreign clubs in January and Benfica are keen to win the race for his signature.
Manchester City's Bernardo Silva on April 26, 2025
Benfica “contract pending” for Bernardo in January, says Lopes
Lopes is running for Benfica’s presidency, with the election set to take place on October 25, and he has made Bernardo’s return to the Portuguese giants a key part of his campaign.
The 59-year-old has made it clear that he will push to wrap up a deal for the playmaker in the winter transfer window if he is elected as Benfica’s new president.
As quoted by Portuguese news outlet A Bola, Lopes said: "Yes, I can confirm that Bernardo Silva has a contract pending and I'm really looking forward to signing him in January.
“He embodies everything I look for Benfica: identity, a winning culture, and he is a huge Benfica fan. And I assure you that we will not stop here."
It is understood that Bruno Lage's Benfica will consider tabling a cash offer to sign Bernardo in January, or will wait until the summer to bring the playmaker back to Portugal for free when his Man City deal expires.
Manchester City's Bernardo Silva celebrates on May 20, 2025
Bernardo Silva’s legacy analysed after near-decade Man City career
Since joining Man City from Monaco for around £43m in the summer of 2017, Bernardo has made a total of 410 appearances for the club across all competitions - more than any other Citizens player in that time.
The versatile playmaker is regarded as one of Guardiola’s most trusted first-team stars who has been an integral part of City's success and will undoubtedly go down as a club legend at the Etihad.
Bernardo has won a total of 17 trophies with Man City, including six Premier League titles, four EFL Cups, two FA Cups and one Champions League, and he was a key part of the Citizens squad that won a historic treble in the 2022-23 campaign.
The 103-cap Portugal international, who won the UEFA Nations League this summer, has contributed with 72 goals and 73 assists for Man City, including 43 Premier League goals - the fourth most by a Portuguese player in the division’s history.
Bernardo could overtake both Kevin De Bruyne (422) and David Silva (436) for appearances at Man City this season, while registering just two more assists would see him draw level with Sergio Aguero in third on the club’s all-time assist list in the Premier League.
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