Fabrizio Romano confirms Real Madrid hijack of Bernardo Silva transfer from Barcelona

Updated: 11 Jun 2026 23:10 BST | 5 min read

Suraj Radia | Editor

Jose Mourinho has pulled off his first transfer hijack as Real Madrid manager, with Bernardo Silva set to join the Spanish giants to leave rivals Barcelona stunned.

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Silva will leave Manchester City as a free agent after nine years with the Premier League side and it was expected that Barcelona would beat Atletico Madrid to the 31-year-old’s signing.

Current ETV

Bernardo Silva

M, DM (C)

Man City

Bernardo Silva

M, DM (C)

Man City

ETV Range

€19.8M - €24.2M

There were initial suggestions that Silva would put transfer talks on hold until after his participation with Portugal in the 2026 World Cup but Fabrizio Romano has now confirmed that the midfielder is set to sign for Madrid.

Mourinho is believed to have made Silva a priority target after being formally announced as Real Madrid’s new manager on Thursday and talks accelerated over a deal in recent hours to put Los Blancos ahead of their rivals.

Silva has now agreed to sign on a contract until 2028, with the option for a further year, with the appointment of his Portuguese compatriot Mourinho said to have tipped the scales in Madrid’s favour.

Barcelona had long-pursued Silva and were thought to be in pole position for his signature, while Diego Simeone was also keen to bring the playmaker to Atletico, but Madrid will now seal his signing in the coming days.

Bernardo Silva set to become Mourinho’s latest signing at Real Madrid

Silva will become the latest player to join Mourinho’s side after deals were struck for Denzel Dumfries in a €20 million transfer from Inter, while Ibrahima Konate is set to join on a free from Liverpool.

© IMAGO - Bernardo Silva is set to join Real Madrid.

Real Madrid also publicly submitted a €150m offer for Julian Alvarez this week as per the promise of Florentino Perez following his re-election as club president, although this was rejected immediately by Atletico.

Following the signings of Silva, Dumfries and Konate, Mourinho is thought to have identified Josko Gvardiol as Real Madrid’s next target.

Gvardiol has two years remaining on his contract at Manchester City and, while they do not want to lose the defender, Madrid are desperate to sign a versatile left sided option and could intensify their pursuit for the Croatian.

Chelsea’s Levi Colwill and Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori are also on the club’s shortlist for the position but Gvardiol is said to be Mourinho’s next focus as Real Madrid look to bounce back from a disappointing campaign under their new coach.

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Read more about: La Liga Atlético Madrid Barcelona Man City Real Madrid Bernardo Silva Denzel Dumfries Ibrahima Konaté Josko Gvardiol Julián Alvarez Levi Colwill Riccardo Calafiori