Pep Guardiola’s assistant appears to confirm Man City club legend will leave this summer

Bernardo Silva’s Manchester City exit has been all-but confirmed by assistant manager Pep Lijnders.

The midfielder is set to leave the club when his contract expires this summer.

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Silva signed for City from Monaco in 2017 and has spent nine wonderful years at the Etihad Stadium.

During that time, the Portuguese has made 450 appearances for the club, scoring 76 goals.

The 31-year-old has also won 18 trophies including the Champions League and six Premier League titles.

Silva was named captain by Pep Guardiola last summer following Kevin De Bruyne’s exit.

However, he is now set to depart himself after comments made by Lijnders after Saturday’s FA Cup win over Liverpool.

The City coach told reporters: “You never replace a player with the same kind of player because they don’t exist.

“Bernardo Silva is unique. 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.

“But it will be hard because, as I said, in the game, when he is not playing you will see how he is missed, and that’s one game. Imagine a season.

“But every good story comes to an end, and I hope he enjoys the last months, there are only six weeks, and has a good farewell.

“He deserves all that attention as well.”

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Silva has made 43 appearances across all competitions this season, scoring three goals and adding five assists.

He has also featured in each of City’s 30 Premier League outings so far this term.

Lijnders went on to hint that the club could promote a player from their own academy to replace Silva in the side.

Nico O’Reilly is the latest impressive youngster to burst into the City first-team, having enjoyed a standout campaign this season.

Discussing the void left by Silva’s impending departure, Lijnders added: “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 11.

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“And then you hope, with our academy, with the young players we already bought that they can make that step as well in the midfield positions.

“If you see our young boys in the academy, then they have to make that step and to grow.

“But the most important is that the seniors who stay for a long time, that they stay, that they are always there and, around that, you can move.”

City have been linked with a potential move for Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson in recent months.

As for Silva, talkSPORT understands Juventus hold a concrete interest in signing him this summer.

Boyhood club Benfica as well as sides in Saudi Arabia have also been keen on a move for the City legend.

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