LONDON — Ahead of Manchester City’s critical Premier League fixture against Chelsea this Sunday, manager Pep Guardiola opened up about the lingering uncertainty surrounding the future of captain Bernardo Silva, confessing he has been left completely in the dark about the 31-year-old Portugal midfielder’s plans.
Silva, who is currently in the final six months of his existing contract at the Etihad Stadium, has been at the center of swirling transfer speculation in recent weeks. The talk of an impending exit gained major traction after assistant manager Pep Lijnders, speaking to the media following City’s dominant 4-0 FA Cup quarterfinal victory over Liverpool last week, seemingly all but confirmed the star would be leaving the club at the end of the current campaign.
“Every good story comes to an end, and I hope he enjoys the last months — because there is only six weeks — and has a good farewell,” Lijnders said in his post-match remarks.
But Guardiola, who was speaking to reporters for the first time since Lijnders’ comments, pushed back on any suggestion that the club already knows Silva’s decision, revealing he has even grown frustrated with the midfielder for not sharing his intentions sooner.
“I’m so grumpy with Bernardo because a month ago I said, ‘If you take a decision, I have to be the first to know’,” Guardiola told reporters. “And he didn’t say to me anything yet, so I don’t know what’s going on. It has to be Bernardo who tells us what he wants to do next.”
Since joining Manchester City from AS Monaco back in 2017, Silva has cemented his legacy as one of the club’s most decorated and consistent signings of the modern era. Across his seven-and-a-half seasons at the Etihad, he has racked up 450 senior appearances, helped deliver six Premier League titles, and was a key part of the squad that lifted the club’s first ever UEFA Champions League trophy in 2023.
Guardiola made clear he would be delighted to see Silva end his legendary playing career at Manchester City, even as he stressed that the final call is entirely the player’s to make.
“I would love it if he could stay and finish his career here,” Guardiola said. “I don’t know. He’s going to decide what he’s going to decide, announce to the club, the media, the fans and everyone. It’s his decision. But it has been an incredible, incredible signing. If you look at the numbers, the minutes he’s played, the titles he’s won, especially how he shows up in bad moments.
“I always judge players by how they perform when everything is difficult. Time after time, when we’ve needed him most, Bernardo has stepped up and said, ‘I’m here to help’. That’s what makes him so special to this club.”
Off the back of winning the League Cup last month, City is still in the hunt for an unprecedented domestic treble this season. Currently, the club sits second in the Premier League table, nine points behind runaway leaders Arsenal, though Guardiola’s side hold one game in hand over the Gunners. The two title favorites are set to face off in a highly anticipated clash at the Etihad on April 19, a match that could ultimately decide who lifts the league title in May.
Speaking about City’s title challenge, Guardiola acknowledged his side have left themselves with too much ground to make up after a series of inconsistent results earlier in the campaign.
“We need to win a lot of points,” Guardiola said. “We were not consistent enough during the season. We dropped points that we should have taken and that’s why we’re in the position that now we cannot do it differently. The only thing we can do is keep winning and see what happens.”