Man City star confirms desire to return to old club

Man City star confirms desire to return to old club who he is 'too expensive for'

Manchester City star Bernardo Silva has revealed he wants to return to Benfica at some point, but admits he won't get the move anytime soon as his valuation is too high

Bernardo Silva says he'd love to return to old club Benfica, but Manchester City have to lower their asking price for him first.

The Portugal international has been linked with a move away from the Etihad Stadium for a couple of years with the likes of Barcelona, PSG and a number of Saudi Pro League sides all declaring an interest in him. Rumours of an exit died down in September when he signed a new deal at City, extending his stay until 2026, but that hasn't stopped Silva plotting his next career step.

When asked about a potential return to Benfica, where he spent over a decade as a youth player, the 29-year-old admitted he was keen to "see what is possible over time", but conceded that a move is unlikely unless City let him leave on the cheap.

"I've never hidden that one day I want to go back [to Benfica], so of course I do," Silva told Portuguese outlet A Bola. "Now, we'll see over time what's possible and it's not worth talking about this all the time."

But while a move to Benfica would obviously appeal to him, Silva admitted the Lisbon club likely couldn't afford him. He said: "There are contractual issues that have to be respected and you have to live the reality, that Portuguese football at a financial level cannot compete with English, Spanish or even German and French clubs.

"Therefore, even if I I wanted to go to Benfica at the moment it was totally impossible because Manchester City is asking for a lot of money for a transfer for me. In the last four or five years I have been a player valued at over 50 million euros and it is impossible for a Portuguese club to pay that kind of value. People have to be a little realistic."

Silva joined Benfica's academy in 2002 aged just eight, and spent over a decade rising up the youth ranks before making his debut for the senior side in 2013. He was loaned to Monaco a year later to get some first team football under his belt, and ended up joining the Ligue 1 side permanently the following season.

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In the 2016/17 campaign he starred alongside the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Radamel Falcao as Monaco romped their way to an unlikely Ligue 1 triumph and a Champions League semi-final - beating Pep Guardiola's City side en route. That summer he joined Man City for around £50million.

In the years since he's racked up over 300 appearances for the Citizens, scoring 60 goals. He's also won 13 major honours, including five Premier League titles and the Champions League.