Silva finalises Real Madrid move following Man City exit

Bernardo Silva has agreed to join Real Madrid as a free agent following his departure from Manchester City.

Silva, who spent nine years at the Etihad Stadium, has agreed a two-year contract with Los Blancos and will officially make the move at the end of this month.

The midfielder made 460 appearances for City in all competitions, netting 76 goals, and he played in every Premier League game in 2025-26 as they finished as runners-up behind Arsenal.

He helped City – who also saw manager Pep Guardiola walk away at the end of the campaign – win the FA Cup and the EFL Cup in the same season for a second time (also in 2018-19 as part of a domestic treble).

Overall, Silva won 19 trophies with City, including six Premier League titles and the club's first-ever Champions League crown in 2023.

Having joined from Monaco in 2017, he played a part in all but one of City's 20 trophy successes under Guardiola, with the exception being the 2023 UEFA Super Cup, which he missed due to injury.

Only his namesake David Silva (309) has made more Premier League appearances for City than Silva's 304, with that tally also the most by any Portuguese player in the competition's history. 

The 31-year-old had been linked with a move to Barcelona or Benfica, where he began his career, but in recent weeks, reports suggested he was open to joining his compatriot Jose Mourinho in the Spanish capital.

And Madrid confirmed Silva's arrival on Wednesday, with the midfielder preparing for Portugal's World Cup opener against DR Congo.

Silva is the second signing made by Madrid since the end of last season, after they clinched a €60m (£51.8m) move for Spain left-back Marc Cucurella from Chelsea. 

Silva will join a team that has failed to win a major trophy (LaLiga, Champions League and Copa del Rey) in back-to-back campaigns, and one he often excelled against in the past.

He recorded five goal involvements against Madrid while representing City (four goals, one assist) across all competitions, his most against a non-English club.