As exit talk swirls, Bernardo Silva remains the engine of Manchester City

February 13, 2026 Oliver Obel

Manchester City are chasing another Premier League title while quietly preparing for change.

Several pillars of Pep Guardiola’s most successful side have already departed. Others are nearing the end. Bernardo Silva may be next.

The 29-year-old’s contract expires this summer, and there has been no public indication that an extension is imminent. According to reporting by GOAL.com, interest from Barcelona has lingered in recent years, while Benfica president Rui Costa said in November he was “absolutely convinced that he [Bernardo] wants to be a Benfica player.”

Silva has offered little clarity.

“I know exactly what I'm going to do, but it's not the time to talk about it,” he said in September. “It's time to focus on Man City, to try to do my best to try to put the club back where it belongs.”

For now, that focus is total and City are benefiting from it.

A captain’s response at Anfield

Title races often hinge on moments rather than performances. City’s late turnaround at Anfield may prove to be one of them.

With the match slipping away, Silva did what he has done for nearly a decade in sky blue: he increased the tempo. He pressed higher. He demanded the ball. He refused to let the game drift.

He ended the afternoon having covered 12.84 kilometers, but the more telling contributions came in the closing minutes. He reacted first to guide home an equalizer from close range, then surged into the penalty area again soon after a move that led to the spot kick Erling Haaland converted for the winner.

Haaland later described the tone Silva set in two words: “Let’s have it!”

Expanding on that moment, he added: “Bernardo gave a signal to the whole club and the fans – let's have it. He wanted the second goal.”

Guardiola’s reaction was even stronger after what he described as a statement result in the title race.

“We were guided by our incredible player, one of the best players I ever trained, our captain Bernardo,” Guardiola said. “Because when a player always puts the team in front of him and does things through his own example, everybody follows him.”

A squad in transition

The significance of Silva’s leadership is amplified by context.

City’s dressing room looks different now compared to the treble-winning side of 2023. Departures, long-term injuries and loan moves have reduced the number of senior figures regularly available. What remains is a core that understands Guardiola’s system instinctively and Silva is central to that group.

Alongside John Stones, he is one of only two players to have won all six Premier League titles under Guardiola. That experience matters in tight spring run-ins, when matches become tense and margins thin.

Last season, when results dipped between October and March, some supporters questioned whether City’s midfield had lost its athletic edge. Silva, one of the few ever-present players during that spell, absorbed part of that frustration. The criticism has largely faded. Consistency tends to outlast noise.

Influence beyond the stat sheet

On paper, Silva’s numbers 74 goals and 78 assists in 441 appearances are strong but not spectacular by Manchester City standards. He has never been the side’s primary scorer or creative hub.

His value is harder to quantify.

Guardiola has used him as a central midfielder, wide playmaker, false winger and occasional deep-lying controller. In some matches he dictates tempo; in others he becomes a relentless presser who disrupts opponents’ buildup. Few players in the squad are trusted to shift roles mid-game without instruction.

His impact in marquee fixtures has reinforced that trust. Over the years he has delivered decisive goals in derby matches, in clashes with Liverpool, and on European nights including two in the 4-0 Champions League semifinal win over Real Madrid in 2023.

“He is one of the best players I have ever trained with,” Guardiola said at Anfield. “He is the perfect captain. It is a joy for me as a manager to have him. His contribution is massive, and he is one of the legends of this club.”

What comes next?

City remain alive in multiple competitions. Another league title would be Silva’s seventh in nine seasons a remarkable return for a player who rarely dominates headlines.

But succession planning is unavoidable.

Replacing goals is straightforward. Replacing a midfielder who understands every pressing trigger, every positional rotation and every tactical adjustment within Guardiola’s system is far more complicated. Replacing the personality that drives standards in training may be harder still.

At Anfield, after scoring late, Silva did not celebrate wildly. He gestured forward, urging teammates to push again. There was urgency in it not relief.

Whether he signs a new deal or departs in the summer, his final months in Manchester are shaping the present as much as the future.

And if City lift another trophy before then, his imprint will be difficult to miss.

Sources: GOAL.com