Bernardo Silva is set to leave Manchester City after nine years at the club when his contract expires at the end of the current season.
The City captain joined back in 2017 and has enjoyed a trophy laden spell at the club, but will now draw the curtain on his career with his final match set to come this weekend when they face Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium.
The Portuguese was named captain at the start of the season following the departure of Kevin De Bruyne to Napoli, and will now follow in the footsteps of his predecessor in leaving the club as well.
Speaking during an interview, the 31-year-old revealed his reason for leaven is largely driven by the desire for a new challenge elsewhere and the desire to move closer to his family, after winning several trophies at the Manchester club.
“It’s a mix of things, in terms of trophies, in terms of what I personally achieved here, it’s never enough, but I feel that we won a lot, our generation,” Silva said in an interview.
“It’s time for these young guys to have their moment, and for me personally, it’s an opportunity to go a bit closer to my family.”
Silva joined from AS Monaco in 2017 and has gone on to win 19 major trophies at the club, including six Premier League titles.
He also led the club to the EFL Cup and FA Cup successes over Arsenal and Chelsea respectively this season, although they missed out on the Premier League title to Arsenal.
“It’s been quite a long time, 12 years, that I’ve been apart, and quite far away, and I want to be a bit closer to them”, Silva added.
“Also, I want a new challenge, even though I love the football club, and I loved the nine years here, I feel it’s the right moment for me.”
Silva has already attracted interest from the likes of Barcelona, Juventus and Atletico Madrid, although his next move remains unknown for now.
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