Real Madrid land Bernardo Silva on free transfer
By Joel Masibo, June 17, 2026Spanish giants Real Madrid have officially announced the arrival of Portuguese midfielder Bernardo Silva, who has signed a two-year contract with the club.
The former Manchester City star, who turns 32 on August 10, 2026, joins Los Blancos as a free agent after seeing out his contract with the Premier League side. His agreement with Madrid will keep him at the Santiago Bernabeu until June 2028.
Silva had reportedly attracted interest from both Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, but the opportunity to play under Jose Mourinho is believed to have played a significant role in convincing him to move to the Spanish capital.
The acquisition is the latest move in an active recruitment drive by Real Madrid following Florentino Perez’s re-election as club president earlier this month.
In addition to bringing Mourinho back to the club, Madrid recently secured the services of Spanish left-back Marc Cucurella in a transfer valued at around 60 million euros. The club is also reportedly pursuing Dutch right-back Denzel Dumfries and is expected to complete the signing of central defender Ibrahima Konate, whose five-year stay at Liverpool will come to an end when his contract expires later this month.
Meanwhile, experienced defender Antonio Rudiger has committed his future to the club after agreeing to a one-year extension on Tuesday. The new deal will see the German remain a Real Madrid player until June 2027.
The Portugal international, has won six Premier League titles and one Champions League during his nine seasons with City, but will depart when his contract expires at the end of the current campaign.
Silva’s departure
Speaking in the press conference after City’s 4-0 FA Cup win over Liverpool on Saturday, assistant manager Pep Lijnders confirmed that “every good story comes to an end” and acknowledged that it will not be possible for the club to replace their skipper.
“You never replace a player with the same kind of player, because they don’t exist. Bernardo Silva is unique,” Lijnders said, who was filling in for Pep Guardiola due to the manager serving a touchline suspension.
The Dutchman added: “The way he controls games, the way he moves, the way he receives, the way he leads, the way he sees the solutions, all these things.
“You never search for a replacement of one type of player; you search for what is needed to grow with the team and somebody who can fit in the first XI.