Fabrizio Romano deals Arsenal blow as Man City block move for £50m playmaker

Bernardo-Silva-MCFC

Bernardo Silva may well be on the move from Manchester City this summer, but he won’t be allowed to join Arsenal, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Portuguese playmaker joined Man City back in 2017, has racked up over 340 appearances for the club and continues to be a vital player for Pep Guardiola’s side, but speculation surrounding his long-term future has been rife for some time.

‘Practically decided to leave’

At the start of the season, Silva penned a fresh deal with Man City which is valid until 2026, but there’s reportedly a £50m release clause which can be activated in the summer, and a report last week claimed the 29-year-old has ‘practically decided to leave’ with agent Jorge Mendes holding the ‘key’ to his next move.

Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain have both been heavily linked though the Daily Star claimed over the weekend that while Real Madrid have ‘jumped to the front of the queue’ for Silva, Arsenal are one of the other clubs ‘all monitoring the situation closely’.

The Gunners poached both Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko from City in the summer of 2022, and Mikel Arteta is keen on adding Silva to his squad to take them to the next level.

No dice for Arsenal and Arteta

Unfortunately for Arteta and Arsenal, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano insists if Silva is to leave City this summer he won’t be allowed to join one of their direct rivals in the Premier League.

“Arsenal did well when they signed both Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko from Manchester City almost two years ago, and now there’s been speculation from some outlet about them trying again to raid City, this time for Bernardo Silva.

“Sorry to disappoint any Arsenal fans who had got their hopes up, but I have zero information on Arsenal and Bernardo so far, to be honest. The Portugal international’s release clause is there for £50million but obviously, Man City don’t want Bernardo to stay in the Premier League and play for one of their rivals.”