Bernardo Silva has hinted at staying at Manchester City beyond this season, despite wanting to leave last summer.
Bernardo has been City's best performer this season as they sit on top of the Premier League and safely through to the last-16 of the Champions League. The Portuguese was hailed by Pep Guardiola as the best player in the league after his sparkling performance and goal at Aston Villa earlier this month, and the manager also said he's replicating his 2018/19 Player of the Year form.
However, the popular midfielder might not have been at the Etihad this season after asking to leave in the summer. Guardiola has a policy of allowing unhappy players to leave, and said at the start of the season that Bernardo was no different - but no acceptable offer was received.
Now, in light of his brilliant form this season, Bernardo has spoken about his future and suggested he might be open to staying at City, mainly because the Premier League is the best league in the world.
"It depends," he said when asked by O Jogo (via SportWitness) why he would consider leaving the best club in the world in the best league.
"Right now I think it’s the best championship in the world, I think it’s the country where the level is highest. There was a Spanish dominance a few years ago, which lasted a long time. I think that at the moment the English teams are the strongest in the world and therefore it is always good to be where the best football is played.
“Then there are personal decisions that also count, such as being closer to the family, etc. But I confess that one of my dreams was to be part of the best championship in the world.”
So while Bernardo hasn't ruled out a move away, he appears open to staying, which will be a major boost for City fans. And the three-time Premier League winner also spoke about City's attempts at winning the Champions League, explaining how small details matter even more in Europe.
He said: “Obviously the Champions League is one of the big goals because it’s the competition this club have never won and we need to win. It’s been a frustration for us not to get there. Last year we went to the final, but we couldn’t win it.
“I still believe that the most important competition, the base competition, is the Premier League. It’s like a great Portuguese club, whose first objective is to win the league.
"Afterwards, the cups are important, with the Champions being the most important event. But these are already special competitions, where you have to be lucky, where a small detail throws you out of the competition."
