Bernardo Silva rejected a huge offer to move to Saudi Arabia before he signed a new contract with Manchester City.
That’s according to The Athletic’s Sam Lee, who has reported that Bernardo rejected Neymar’s Al-Hilal.
On Wednesday City announced that the Portuguese midfielder had signed a one-year contract extension, making him contracted to the treble-winners until 2026.
The news brought an end to months of speculation regarding Bernardo’s future, as he was wanted by Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Al-Hilal.
Bernardo rejected Saudi offer
According to The Athletic, the Saudi Pro League side made Bernardo an extremely lucrative offer.
The club – now home to Neymar – reportedly offered the 29-year-old a contract worth around £75 million per season, a deal that would have made him one of the highest-earning players on the planet.
Thankfully for City, Bernardo was not tempted to join the Saudi Pro League project that has already attracted the likes of former City teammates Riyad Mahrez and Aymeric Laporte this summer.
However, the new contract does not necessarily guarantee Bernardo’s at the Etihad Stadium beyond the end of the current season.
The Portuguese midfielder wanted to join Barcelona in 2020, 2021, and 2022, and was reportedly open to a move this summer too.
While he was not desperate to leave – he would not have signed a new contract otherwise – it has been rumoured that his new deal includes a £45m release clause that could be activated next summer.
It would make sense for that to be the case, given how long Bernardo has desired a change of lifestyle, more akin to what he experienced living in his native Portugal.
