Man City ‘make an improved contract offer to Bernardo Silva’ to ward off Saudi interest

Manchester City are reportedly acting late to convince Bernardo Silva to extend his stay at the club.

Silva played for the Sky Blues last season as City secured the historic Treble by winning the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup but has been tipped for a possible exit.

Saudi Arabia’s wealth has piqued Silva’s interest, who has been handed a deal that would see him earn more than £75 million per season, with Al Hilal doing everything he can to bring the winger to the Kingdom.

The oil-rich country has already signed some of Europe’s biggest names with Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante all joining the Saudi Pro League in the past 12 months.

City – while unable to match the Saudi mega money – have offered Silva a new and improved deal in a bid to convince the player to stay in England, according to the Time.

Silva played an influential role in City’s Treble success last season but could leave the club

Silva’s existing contract has two years left, meaning City could charge a hefty transfer fee for the Treble-winning star, but the club appear keen to fend off any clubs interested in negotiations.

The English champions are not tied to money and if Silva left the club he would become the first European superstar to leave for the Middle East at the height of his career.

Jamie Carragher has warned that if Silva moved it would be a game changer for Saudi football, tweeting: ‘Bernardo Silva is in his prime and has been one of the best players in Europe for the past five years!’

“I wasn’t worried about the Saudi League taking on players in their 30s, a little worried about players below the elite (Ruben Neves), but when this happens it feels like a game changer.

The 28-year-old is much loved by Manchester City and has played a vital role in the club’s dominant success in recent seasons.

He started 24 of his 34 Premier League appearances and was influential in the Champions League, scoring crucial goals in the quarter-final and semi-final of the competition against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid respectively.

City boss Pep Guardiola (left) is keen to keep the Portuguese star for next season

Silva is being chased by Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal who can offer a huge wage

Guardiola is eager to keep Silva and described him as ‘irreplaceable’ at the end of the season.

“I am happy that Bernardo has become a winning player,” said Guardiola. “Of course the highlights will be from Erling. But we can’t forget what Bernardo did, scoring the goal and putting it on the right side in the second half.

What surprises me about Bernardo is that when the game goes wrong he takes a step forward, he likes to play in this situation. He feels comfortable with it,” he said.

“Some players might step back and he takes a step forward. Therefore, in many ways, he is irreplaceable to us…”