Chelsea have expressed interest in signing Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva when he leaves the Etihad this summer.
Marca report that Chelsea are positioning themselves for a surprise move for the Portuguese midfielder when he becomes a free agent at the end of the season.
Chelsea express interest
The newspaper explains that Atlético de Madrid are in the race for the Portuguese midfielder, alongside Barcelona, AC Milan, Juventus and now Chelsea.
Atlético see Bernardo Silva as a replacement for Antoine Griezmann, and someone who can raise their competitive level next season.
The 31-year-old will be a free agent this summer and the Spanish side want to be a contender for his signature. His agent, Jorge Mendes, is working on various options for his client once he departs Manchester City.
A move elsewhere in the Premier League hasn’t been suggested as yet, but Marca now report that Chelsea have ‘already expressed’ their interest in him. There is no mention of the extent of that contact so far.
Jorge Mendes connections
Mendes does have clients at Stamford Bridge. He also represents Pedro Neto, while Strasbourg’s Valentin Barco is also a part of his roster. The Argentine is expected to move to London this summer.
He’s one of several Strasbourg players on his client list. That would suggest a working relationship with BlueCo, Chelsea’s owners. Perhaps that is how the contact has come about.
Either way, it appears that Chelsea have put themselves in the mix for the Manchester City star. A move to Stamford Bridge would certainly be unexpected given the interest around Europe.
But there have been calls for Chelsea to add experience to their squad moving forwards to help their young stars develop. Bernardo Silva, with his experience at Manchester City, would certainly fit that profile.
It’s a question of whether he wants to stay in England, though, or fancies continuing his career elsewhere after his long stay at the Etihad.