Bernardo Silva has packed up his Manchester City career and on his way out the door, he dropped a story that the club probably wishes stayed private.
Speaking to DAZN, the Portuguese midfielder revealed that he and Ruben Dias tried desperately to get City to sign Joao Neves back in 2024. The three of them were together at the Euros in Germany. Neves was close to joining Psg. Silva and Dias started blowing up City’s phone. Do not lose this kid. Do not let him slip. City had other priorities.
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Neves went to Paris for €65 million. He was 19 years old. Two seasons later, he is a cornerstone of Luis Enrique’s midfield and heading into his second straight Champions League final. Silva did not hold back. He said City must be regretting it now. He and Dias already knew what Neves was because they trained with him at the national team. The talent was obvious. The club looked the other way.
Since that decision, City have spent €115 million on three midfielders trying to fill gaps. Ilkay Gundogan returned on a free transfer from Barcelona and lasted a year. Nico Gonzalez was brought in to cover the injured Rodri and is already thinking about leaving because he cannot get enough minutes. Tijjani Reijnders arrived from Milan and has blown hot and cold. Meanwhile, Neves is dominating in France and playing Champions League finals.
The story is funny because Silva tells it with a laugh. It is also painful because every word is true. City let a generational midfield talent walk away for a price they could easily have afforded. Now Neves is worth double and City are still searching for the midfield control they once had. Silva is gone. The regrets remain.
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Ruben Dias was in on it too. Two of your most important players begging you to sign someone and you ignore them. Madness
Bernardo leaving and on his way out he decides to air City’s dirty laundry. That’s cold 😂😂
€65 million for Joao Neves was a STEAL. How did City let PSG grab him without a fight??
PSG got an absolute gem and City got a €115 million midfield headache. The transfer gods are cruel 😮â€ðŸ’¨
Now everyone’s gonna compare every City midfield signing to Joao Neves for the next five years. The curse is real
Silva and Dias literally calling the club like “sign this guy” and the board said nah we good. Now look at the mess
Neves at 19 walking into PSG’s midfield and becoming undroppable. Some players are just obvious. City missed it
Gundogan came back for a year. Gonzalez wants to leave. Reijnders is inconsistent. And Neves is playing UCL finals. Painful reading
The fact this story came out right after Silva’s farewell game tells you he’s been holding this in for a while
City without Silva AND without Neves next season. The midfield rebuild went from necessary to desperate
Three midfielders signed for €115 million and none of them are as good as Neves. That’s catastrophic recruitment
Bernardo Silva telling this story with a smile while City fans are crying. Legend behavior honestly
€65 million is nothing for City. They’ve spent more on fullbacks. Letting Neves go was pure arrogance
Bernardo basically said “I told you so” in the most polite way possible and honestly, he earned the right 😤