Jose Mourinho Identifies Real Madrid Transfer ‘Preference’ Already Wanted by Barcelona

José Mourinho hopes, according to a new report, Real Madrid will do something for him this summer that Manchester United never did: Sign Bernardo Silva.

The Red Devils were tracking Silva in 2016 when Mourinho was appointed manager at Old Trafford. But a possible transfer, rivaling rumored interest from Juventus, never materialized, nor did it a year later when the 22-year-old Portuguese joined Manchester City instead off the back of an outstanding season with Monaco that delivered the Ligue 1 title and a Champions League semifinal.

Now, after 10 years, Mourinho could finally get the chance to manage his compatriot, who becomes a free agent on June 30 when his Manchester City contract officially ends.

AS writes that Silva is one of Mourinho’s “preferences” for this summer’s recruitment, assuming Florentino Pérez wins the presidential election and the new manager appointment is completed. It would see what was previously assumed to be a fight between Barcelona and Atlético Madrid become a three-way battle for a player whose career at the elite level is far from over.

Silva’s situation in Manchester differed from that of Kevin De Bruyne last summer, with the ageing Belgian not offered a contract. Rather, 31-year-old Silva admitted in the days before his final City match that he was asked to stay but made the decision to leave this year back in 2024. The midfield star, although a central cog in Pep Guardiola’s machine, notably struggled to settle in England away from the pitch and was being persuaded to stay at the Etihad Stadium from as early as 2020.

A possible return to first club Benfica had been mooted in recent months, which could have taken him to Mourinho via a different route had things played out another way. But even moving to Madrid, central Spain, puts Silva within a 90-minute flight of his family in Lisbon, Portugal.

Bernardo Silva Is What Real Madrid Need

Guardiola has endorsed any club signing Silva. “He adapts to any team, he's just too good,” the outgoing Manchester City boss said, via AS, at an event near Barcelona on Saturday.

Silva’s versatility has seen him master multiple positions throughout his career, adept on the wing, as a No. 10, box-to-box or deep-lying playmaker. It is the latter which may best help Real Madrid, having lost Toni Kroos and Luka Modrić in successive summers and not replaced either.

Rodri has been billed as the solution and he has even flirted with the possible transfer. But, failing to prize the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner away from Manchester City, Silva is more than a worthy alternative in addition to being extremely cost effective in the circumstances.

Aside from what he brings in terms of technique and skill, Silva could also give Real Madrid a boost in senior leadership. The roster lacks figures like him, with Kroos and Modrić not replaced in more ways than one, and even more experience departing with Dani Carvajal and David Alaba this summer. It threatens to leave a vacuum that might only worsen the existing infighting unless steps are taken.

Barcelona Confirmed As an ‘Option’

Having represented Portugal in a World Cup warmup win against Chile on Saturday, Silva was asked by reporters postgame about his future and, specifically, Barcelona.

“I haven’t made my decision yet,” the player responded. “I want to be at a club that wants me, that’s for sure. A club where I feel I’ll be useful.

“Is [playing for Barcelona] a dream? I’m not going to answer that because I don’t know where I’ll end up. It’s an option I have, but I haven’t made that decision yet. We don’t know what will happen.”

Barcelona will be just as keen to add a proven winner without a transfer fee.

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