Bernardo Silva: How Jose Mourinho pulled off the summer’s biggest transfer heist

Feature

Robin Bairner | Chief Editor

Accredited football journalist and editor covering the game since 2006

Real Madrid will complete the summer’s biggest transfer hijack when they sign Bernardo Silva from Manchester City in a deal that Jose Mourinho has orchestrated.

Bernardo, who will become a free agent at the end of June when his contract at the Etihad Stadium expires, has spent recent months heavily linked with a move to both Madrid’s fiercest rivals: Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.

Indeed, revelations from Spain have indicated that he was due to sign for Atleti on Thursday before an abrupt change of plans saw him head across the capital to the Bernabeu.

Current ETV

Bernardo Silva

M, DM (C)

Man City

Bernardo Silva

M, DM (C)

Man City

€22M

ETV Range

€19.8M - €24.2M

View full profile

Here’s how Mourinho conducted one of the most spectacular deals of the window.

Mourinho behind Real Madrid’s Bernardo Silva deal

Mourinho has already made his mark at Real Madrid. Although confirmation of his status as the club’s new manager arrived only on Thursday, behind the scenes he has been orchestrating several key moves that will shape the summer transfer window of his side.

Deals have been struck to bring Denzel Dumfries and Ibrahima Konate to the club, and Bernardo Silva will be the third new signing that the Portuguese has attracted.

The Portugal star will sign a two-year deal, with Sport reporting that “talks are in the final stretch”.

A whirlwind deal has been conducted in the space of 36 hours, with Los Blancos acting in an incisive manner that proved decisive.

“It is one of the quickest deals I remember for such a big club and such a big player because usually these negotiations take time,” transfer insider Fabrizio Romano commented on his YouTube channel.

“Jose Mourinho had a long meeting with the Real Madrid directors on Tuesday night and one of the messages was very clear: Bernardo Silva is the right player for us.

“Real Madrid decided to go all in and give Mourinho exactly what he wanted.”

Real Madrid move with authority as rivals dither

The authority with which Real Madrid moved came in contrast to that of Barcelona, who Bernardo has been in contact with since the end of the Premier League season.

The Catalans have long held an interest in the 31-year-old but were less impactful in their offer. They offered Bernardo the chance to come into the midfield rotation as a bench player.

He was ready to complete the move but Barca needed to make a sale in order to clear the space in their squad, and during this period Atletico Madrid came in with a more attractive offer. This gave Bernardo cause for thought and the delay was sufficient to allow Mourinho and Real Madrid to come in and seal a deal.

What does this mean for Real Madrid’s transfer window?

Romano says that Bernardo Silva’s arrival means that Real Madrid are no longer interested in signing Rodri from Manchester City.

On the other hand, they continue to be credited with an interest in Mateus Fernandes of West Ham. Competition in this regard remains hot, with Manchester United and PSG both seeking to complete a move.

Mourinho continues to build an experienced and streetwise core at Real Madrid, and the signing of Bernardo will be particularly sweet after the midfielder had been so close to Los Blancos’ two biggest rivals.

Related stories:

Build The FIFA World Cup 2026™: LEGO© releases stunning football-inspired collection

Real Madrid have broken an unspoken rule of the transfer market – now they will be punished

Newcastle ready to send Mourinho €15m as Gordon replacement found

The FootballTransfers app

Check out FootballTransfers' new app for all of football's big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.

The FootballTransfers app is available on Google Play and in the Apple App Store. Download here:

•Google Play

•App Store