Benfica presidential candidate João Noronha Lopes has admitted he’s been talking to Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva about a return to the club “for a long time”.
[SAPO cover comments from him today.](https://sapo.pt/artigo/rui-costa-e-noronha-lopes-debatem-regresso-de-bernardo-silva-ninguem-o-pode-garantir-6903e982cbdfa12852c16dac) He was speaking at a presidential debate on Thursday as he battles Rui Costa for the role.
The next Benfica president is set to be elected on November 8th after the vote on October 25th saw both candidates fail to secure an absolute majority. Costa did, though, secure the most votes.
He’s played something of a more discreet campaign than Lopes, who has been making big promises from day one. Most of those revolve around Manchester City star Bernardo Silva.
He remains a firm fan favourite at Benfica, despite only making three senior appearances for them before joining Monaco. He is a product of the club’s youth system and earned rave reviews at that level.
Lopes has made it clear he wants to bring him back to the club. In fact, he has gone as far promising Benfica fans he would bring Silva back from Manchester City if elected. Silva’s current deal at the Etihad runs until June 2026, making a deal possible.
And now he admits he’s been speaking to the midfielder for a while about a return to his former club.
“I really want to bring him back,” he said.
“I’ve been talking to him for a long time. I repeat what I said at the beginning of the campaign, and I’ll say it again now: with me, the president will return. I’m not setting deadlines. He’s someone I admire; he’s a great Benfica supporter.
“Bernardo makes his own decisions. I perfectly understand that he doesn’t take a public position regarding the elections.”