Bernardo Silva extended the length of his stay at Manchester City by signing a new three-year contract with the Cityzens, but it appears that there might be an interesting release clause inserted into the deal as well.
The Portuguese midfielder, whose recent deal was set to expire in 2025, has decided to pen a new one that assures City can keep him for a longer period.
This also comes after Silva was heavily linked to a move to Barcelona earlier this summer window, before Pep Guardiola stepped into ensure that he doesn’t lose another star midfielder to his former side – having already seen them sign Ilkay Gundogan on a free transfer.
Bernardo Silva’s release clause in new contract
Bernardo was delighted to sign the new deal with Man City, as he said after the deal was made official: “I’ve had six incredible years at Manchester City and I’m delighted to extend my time here. Winning the Treble last season was extremely special and it’s exciting to be part of a squad where there is such a hunger and passion.
“Success makes you want even more, and this Club gives me that opportunity to keep on winning. I love the manager, my team-mates and the fans and hope we can share even more great memories in the coming years.”
Most fans saw this contract extension to mark the end of all the rumours about his potential exit and speculation around the Portuguese midfielder’s future. However, that does not seem to be the case at all.
Soon after his new deal was announced, whispers started circulating on social media about Bernardo having ensured that a ‘release clause’ was inserted into his new contract.
A release clause is a specific element inserted into contracts that allows any team to sign a player for a specific amount of money by triggering that clause.
Fans started speculating that he had a £35 million release clause in his new deal, which would be an absolute bargain for the player who has won five Premier League titles, two FA Cups and the UEFA Champions League with the Cityzens.
How much is the value of Silva’s release clause?
However, reliable Spanish journalist Matte Moretto has since hinted that Man City have actually inserted a £50 million release clause into the contract for the 29-year-old, who will be 32 if he sees out the entire spell of his new three-year contract with the Premier League heavyweights.
There is, of course, no official confirmation of the said release clause, because the Cityzens haven’t confirmed it, but Moretto is a pretty reliable reporter and this wouldn’t be the most shocking thing either.
Normally, a release clause is inserted into a player’s deal because of either the player specifically wanted it to give them a chance to move elsewhere or a club wanting to preserve their player’s value.
For example, many La Liga sides have started inserting crazy release clauses into the contracts of their players since Neymar left Barcelona to join PSG in 2017.
With that being said, it is also being rumoured that Silva’s release clause cannot be triggered instantly after he signed the new deal. There is no way that any club can pry him away in this summer window immediately after he signed the contract.
It’s likely for the £50 million release clause for Silva to become active in 2025, which is actually not that bad as the Cityzens can get a decent pay-out for a (then 31-year-old) Silva with a year on his contract, if any club pays that for him.
This could be similar to what City have done with Erling Haaland, inserting a secret £150 million release clause in his deal that becomes active in 2024. That could give many of Europe’s major clubs to start pushing to sign him next summer unless the Norwegian striker signs a new deal with the club before that.
When it comes to Silva, however, even though fans might be going gaga over his cheap release clause – he doesn’t seem interested in leaving the Premier League giants anytime soon. He seems adamant to keep building a legacy at Man City and win even more trophies with them for the foreseeable future, at least.
