Silva will leave Manchester City after winning the Champions League and six Premier League titles during his nine-year tenure.
Published 6 April 2026
Manchester City captain Bernardo Silva will leave the club at the end of the season, assistant manager Pep Lijnders has confirmed.
“Every good story comes to an end,” Lijnders told reporters after City’s 4-0 FA Cup quarter-final win over Liverpool on Sunday.
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“I hope he enjoys these last months – there are only six weeks left – and has a good send-off. He deserves all the attention.”
The 31-year-old Portugal international, who has won six Premier League titles and the Champions League during his nine years at the Etihad Stadium, will depart as a free agent when his contract expires at the end of the campaign.
Pep Guardiola, who was serving a touchline suspension during the match, had earlier described Silva as “irreplaceable”.
Silva joined City from AS Monaco in 2017 for a reported fee of around $57.35 million and has since made 450 appearances for the club.
The midfielder known for his tactical versatility, superb technique and tireless work rate has been a cornerstone of City under Guardiola.
Despite trailing Premier League leaders Arsenal by nine points after winning the League Cup last month, City remain in the race to win a domestic treble as the 2025-26 campaign enters its final weeks.
The Manchester club has one game and eight matches left to bridge the deficit.
Silva will become the second major player to leave the top four Premier League clubs this season, joining Liverpool legend Mohamed Salah, who confirmed he would be leaving the defending champions in May.
The 33-year-old Egypt international confirmed the news via a video message on his social media account last month.
Salah said, “Unfortunately, that day has come. This is the first part of my departure.” “I will leave Liverpool at the end of the season.”
Signed from AS Roma in 2017, Salah established himself as one of the best players in the club’s history, leading Liverpool to two Premier League titles, the Champions League, the FIFA Club World Cup, the UEFA Super Cup, the FA Cup and two League Cups, as well as the FA Community Shield.
He has scored 255 goals in 435 matches, making him the club’s third-highest goalscorer of all time, during which he won the Premier League Golden Boot on four occasions.
