Manchester City has made the first big transfer splash of the summer. They’ve announced the capture of AS Monaco and Portugal international midfielder Bernardo Silva.
Manchester City signs Bernardo Silva for reported £43 million fee
The Portuguese attacker from Monaco is the first big signing of the summer in the Premier League.
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Silva was a crucial piece in Monaco’s Ligue 1 title victory and Champions League semifinal run. He scored 11 goals in all competitions this season, the best total of his career so far. Manchester City will reportedly pay Monaco £43 million for Silva, who has signed a five-year contract.
The fee represents a nice profit for Monaco, who purchased Silva from Benfica for roughly £14 million just two-and-a-half years ago. He’s likely to be the first of a half-dozen players to leave Monaco for fees well into the eight-figures this summer.
While Silva spent most of his time playing on the right wing this season, he’s also spent plenty of time playing as a true No. 10 and as the most attacking midfielder in a three-man center. His versatility is probably a big part of why City thought he was worth moving for, despite their glut of attacking midfield and wing options.
If you’re wondering why City would spend so much on an attacker when they already have so many of them, it could be that the clock is ticking on David Silva, the 31-year-old City legend. While David Silva is still one of the Premier League’s top players, he’s been injured a bit more often over the last two seasons, failing to play 40 games in either of them. Pep Guardiola might think it’s time to start grooming a replacement.
The signing of Bernardo Silva doesn’t bode particularly well for the Manchester City future of Patrick Roberts, the 20-year-old who had an excellent season on loan at Celtic. Like Silva, Roberts is a left-footed playmaker who has played on the right or as a No. 10.
Expect this to be the first of many big moves during an extremely busy summer for Manchester City. Now that Guardiola’s had a season to evaluate his squad, he has a better idea of what the team’s weaknesses are — and that the Citizens have quite a few of them.
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