Bernardo Silva

[BlueMoonRisin’]

Keeping Bernie is crucial to our chances of winning silverware this coming season. Without him i don't think we can win the league, especially us losing Gundogan and Mahrez.

 

[nmc]

Mandatory purchase ‘OPTION’ ?

Typical Barca…. Jam tomorrow! They’d lowball us even more in 12 months because Bernie would be closer to the end of his contract. City will be fully aware of what a shower of bastards Barca are and hopefully have told them to do one.

 

[Nicholas van Whatsisface]

I’d be amazed if he signs a new deal after the past few windows of wanting out. He’s always said (/leaked) that it’s lifestyle and not sporting project making him want to go. What’s changed?

I hope he has changed his mind but I just can’t see it.

Unless the deal has a minimal release clause.

There’s a couple of factors at play here which I think have conspired to convince him a new deal might be a smart move.

1 - Barcelona’s unwillingness to make a reasonable offer, despite years of him apparently being their ‘top target’ every summer. He has openly acknowledged the need for there to be a decent offer to facilitate his move, and must be frustrated that despite all their promises they keep prioritising elsewhere. He’d be forgiven for thinking this isn’t going to change any time soon.

2 - while he waits around for Barcelona to sort their shit out, he’s missing out on a significant salary uplift (almost double, if reports are to be believed). He must look at less vital players like Mahrez and Cancelo signing new deals and being paid more than he is, whilst he’s fully aware he’s one of our most important players - and should be paid accordingly!

If we’re willing to extend his deal for another couple of years with a clause that lets him leave in the summer of 2025 (his current contract length) for a release clause, then I really don’t see any reason why he wouldn’t sign a new deal.

Let’s face it - Barcelona aren’t going to sign him this summer, so he might as well get his salary doubled for the next couple of years - in which time they might be in a position to actually register him!

 

[mancboy]

There’s a couple of factors at play here which I think have conspired to convince him a new deal might be a smart move.

1 - Barcelona’s unwillingness to make a reasonable offer, despite years of him apparently being their ‘top target’ every summer. He has openly acknowledged the need for there to be a decent offer to facilitate his move, and must be frustrated that despite all their promises they keep prioritising elsewhere. He’d be forgiven for thinking this isn’t going to change any time soon.

2 - while he waits around for Barcelona to sort their shit out, he’s missing out on a significant salary uplift (almost double, if reports are to be believed). He must look at less vital players like Mahrez and Cancelo signing new deals and being paid more than he is, whilst he knows he’s be of our most important players and should be paid accordingly.

If we’re willing to extend his deal for another couple of years with a clause that lets him leave after 2 years (his current contract length) for a release clause, then I really don’t see any reason why he wouldn’t sign a new deal.

Let’s face it - Barcelona aren’t going to sign him this summer, so he might as well get his salary doubled for the next couple of years - in which time they might be in a position to actually register him!

I agree with almost all of that apart from barcelona getting their shit together, everything they are doing at the mo is just shifting the problems they have now for much bigger problems in the future, i think its going to be very bad for them

 

[Deleted member 77198]

I’d be amazed if he signs a new deal after the past few windows of wanting out. He’s always said (/leaked) that it’s lifestyle and not sporting project making him want to go. What’s changed?

I hope he has changed his mind but I just can’t see it.

Unless the deal has a minimal release clause.

Indeed. He said this is Spring 2022;

‘I miss Portugal a lot. If I could go back in a year or two, I would. Not only because I would like to play for Benfica again, but because I miss my family and living in Portugal very much’.


Although in terms of the sporting side he did say this earlier in 2023;

‘I have two more years on my Manchester City contract. My contract would end at 31. I won't hide that my goal in the coming years, if something good happens elsewhere, will probably be to move to a new project.

But going into a new project at the age of 29, I'll only finish this contract probably at 34. If you ask me: what did you think 10 years ago? My goal was to return to Benfica at the age of 32 at the most. What do I think today? It depends on what happens next summer.

I'm not going to lie: it's not something I don't think about. I think about it every year. It has always been a goal. I couldn't fulfil my dream of playing for Benfica when I was 19, 20 years old, but I still want to fulfil it. It's something I think about.

When I was about to leave Manchester City two years ago, that would go right, at 32. Now it won't go right if I leave, and I don't know if that will happen, a club that pays what City want for me won't give me a three-year contract, they will give me a five-year contract. And I'd already be 34 years old.

Being very realistic: for me to leave Manchester City for Benfica, or to leave another great European for Benfica, I cannot leave with two or three years on my contract, because Benfica do not have the money to pay these clubs; I have to go free. I'm in a difficult situation that I have to manage, but we'll see what happens’.

 

[skillman]

I think he's accepted that he's going to be here for a few more years, so why not accept a significant payrise in the meantime?

Because it means he’s tied for even longer at a place he doesn’t particularly want to be - lifestyle wise.

If, like @Nicholas van Whatsisface, suggests (opinion, not ITK) that we would be willing to let him go in a couple of years anyway then it’d make sense for him to extend.

I hope he does but it’s just a bit strange that we’ve had an offer on the table for months that only now he’s willing to sign it. I know it’s because the window for other clubs to come in has been and gone but I’m sure we’ll have had an offer on the table last Summer too (like we do with all our important players, reward them early - Dias for example) and he didn’t extend.

 

[hartshairgel]

Because it means he’s tied for even longer at a place he doesn’t particularly want to be - lifestyle wise.

If, like @Nicholas van Whatsisface, suggests (opinion, not ITK) that we would be willing to let him go in a couple of years anyway then it’d make sense for him to extend.

I hope he does but it’s just a bit strange that we’ve had an offer on the table for months that only now he’s willing to sign it. I know it’s because the window for other clubs to come in has been and gone but I’m sure we’ll have had an offer on the table last Summer too (like we do with all our important players, reward them early - Dias for example) and he didn’t extend.

He can always sign a deal with a release clause but only triggered by certain clubs, paying a particular amount of money.

 

[Deleted member 77198]

Do new contracts always have to be extended contracts? Can they not be for the same length of time that a current one runs at but just with a higher salary?

 

[skillman]

He can always sign a deal with a release clause but only triggered by certain clubs, paying a particular amount of money.

Agreed

 

[Nicholas van Whatsisface]

Do new contracts always have to be extended contracts? Can they not be for the same length of time that a current one runs at but just with a higher salary?

I can’t recall that ever happening - although that definitely doesn’t mean it hasn’t.

There’s nothing in it for the Club to make that deal - it just ends up costing more money for no reward.

The Club will always want an extra year as it extends the timeframe in which we can earn on our asset.

If Bernie extends for two years to summer 2027, with a release clause for certain Clubs in summer ‘25 - he still gets to go at exactly the same point providing a club puts in a decent offer, but we get to make money from that deal rather than seeing him leave for nothing. Therefore it’s in our interests to make that deal happen.

The Alvarez extension last year is a good example. In reality was way too early to extend, but he was clearly being paid peanuts and we wanted to compensate him properly for breaking into the first team so soon - so we agree a deal to bump his salary, but it still has an extra year on it to give the Club a little more security in their asset.