Real Madrid are expected to complete the signing of Man City legend Bernardo Silva to kick off Jose Mourinho’s second spell at the club.
Mourinho’s return to the Bernabeu, 13 years after his first spell, was confirmed on Thursday evening after the Portuguese boss left Benfica.
Silva departed City as a free agent at the end of the season after nine illustrious years with the club during which he won six Premier League titles, the UEFA Champions League and 20 major honours in total.
Daily Mail Sport reported on Thursday that Real had made a contract offer to Silva, and the midfielder has now agreed a deal to join in principle.
The midfielder, 31, has penned a two-year contract and the Spanish giants are keen to finalise the transfer before Portugal’s first World Cup game against DR Congo on Wednesday.
Barcelona and Atletico Madrid had also made proposals to the 31-year-old, who had previously said that he would postpone a decision about his future until after the World Cup.
Man City legend Bernardo Silva is closing in on a move to Real Madrid on a two-year deal
Real re-appointed Jose Mourinho as manager on Thursday, 13 years after his first spell
Mourinho wants the former City captain’s experience and influence to help improve standards and behaviour in the Madrid dressing room after a trophyless season that spawned a number of divisive arguments.
This culminated in a fight between Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde last month, where the Uruguayan was taken to hospital with a head injury.
Silva, who is represented by super-agent Jorge Mendes, recently confirmed that Barcelona were among the clubs to have made him an offer.
‘Barcelona is an option I have, but I haven’t made a decision yet,’ he said last Saturday, after Portugal faced Chile in a pre-World Cup friendly.
‘In the end, I’m going to try to find a team where they want me, where I feel truly wanted. That’s very important, and you’ll know the day I make my decision.’
The move for Silva comes after Florentino Perez was re-elected as Real’s president on Sunday evening following an acrimonious campaign in which he vowed to bring back Mourinho as head coach, and promised to sign superstar players.
Real are already said to have agreed deals to sign Ibrahima Konate and Denzel Dumfries on free transfers, and they had a £130million bid for Atletico Madrid star Julian Alvarez rejected earlier this week.
It is expected to be a busy summer at the Bernabeu, with experienced defenders Dani Carvajal and David Alaba leaving upon the expiry of their contracts, while stalwart Dani Ceballos is likely to depart.
It comes following a trophyless season for Real where they finished 12 points behind Barcelona.
Their woe was compounded when Barcelona’s title triumph was confirmed after a 2-0 victory over their arch-rivals in an El Clasico encounter at the Nou Camp in May.
Silva is currently preparing for the World Cup with Portugal, and they play DR Congo first up
When leaving City last month, Silva, who played 460 times for the club and broke down in tears on his final appearance, hailed his ‘unbelievable’ journey over nine years.
He said: ‘It’s difficult because nine years, it’s a very long time. I would say that I leave as a Man City supporter.
‘When I arrived from Portugal, I was a fan of Benfica, but now I can say that for sure that my feelings toward this club are very, very strong.
‘I will be supporting Man City for the rest of my life.
‘I also have the feeling of being grateful to the club, to the people, to what the fans gave me back. It was just unbelievable.’
