Manchester City are reportedly planning to offer Bernardo Silva a lucrative new contract in a bid to secure his future on a long-term basis.
The 28-year-old has been strongly linked with a move away from the Etihad Stadium over the last two summers, with the attacker believed to be keen to return to Portugal or move to Spain to be closer to his family.
Barcelona are said to have made an attempt to sign him during the recent transfer window, but the Catalan outfit could not come up with the funds required in order to convince Man City to sell.
Silva still has another three years left to run on his contract in Manchester, and he has again been a vital player for Pep Guardiola's side this term, scoring twice and providing five assists in 18 appearances.
The Portugal international is still thought to be keen to leave Man City for personal reasons, but the Citizens are allegedly hoping to convince him to sign a new long-term deal.
© Reuters
According to Football Insider, Man City are preparing to offer the attacker a 'huge' new deal, with Guardiola viewing him as a key part of his plans moving forward.
The report claims that Bernardo currently earns in the region of £150,000, but the English champions are prepared to hand him an increase in a bid to convince him to remain at the club.
The attacker has scored twice and registered five assists in 12 Premier League appearances this season, while he has also featured on five times in the Champions League.
"I'm no one to tell Barca to forget about (signing) Bernardo. We want him to stay with us, but I don't want anyone who's not happy. The first thing would be for the clubs to come to an agreement, but there has been no offer for him in these last two years," Guardiola told reporters over the summer amid interest from Barcelona.
"I don't want him to go, he's a superlative player and a great person... and there are only seven or eight days left (in the window) and we would have to turn to the transfer market. I want him to stay. That said, it is true Bernardo likes Barcelona a lot."
© Reuters
Bernardo has won four Premier League titles, one FA Cup and four League Cup crowns since arriving in Manchester from Monaco in July 2017.
The attacker also helped Man City reach the 2020-21 Champions League final, in addition to lifting two Community Shield trophies during his time at the club.
Bernardo played the full 90 minutes of Saturday's 1-0 win over Leicester City in the Premier League, which saw Guardiola's side move to the top of the table.
Man City have another four matches before the campaign breaks for the World Cup, taking on Sevilla in the Champions League and Chelsea in the EFL Cup, in addition to Premier League matches against Fulham and Brentford.
Matt Law
