Bayern Munich are “set to trigger” the release clause in the contract of Manchester City attacking midfielder Bernardo Silva, according to the Daily Star.
The Portuguese international only signed a new deal at the start of last season but it included a clause allowing him to leave for £50m this summer.
Silva is believed to have hoped for an offer from Spain, with the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid having shown interest.
However, the Daily Star claim that Barca can’t afford to sign the 29-year-old, while Real are focused on recruiting other players.
It means that Silva may have to decide whether he wants to make the switch to Germany or stay with the club that he has spent the last 7 years playing for.
What are the chances of Silva leaving the Etihad?
At the moment, the Daily Star are the only newspaper claiming that Bayern are willing to pay the buyout fee, and it remains to be seen if other sources confirm their story.
Some have suggested that Silva’s release clause actually expires at the end of this month, so we may not have to wait long to discover if Bayern’s interest is genuine.
Who could City target to replace Silva?
As already mentioned, there are no guarantees that the midfielder will leave but, if he were to secure a transfer to Bayern, the club may well consider one of the German club’s own players as his replacement.
The Cityzens are known to be huge fans of Jamal Musiala. The 21-year-old is closing in on the final two years of his contract at the Allianz Arena and negotiations over an extension are yet to take place.
There are said to be alternatives to Musiala. Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz and Paris Saint-Germain’s Xavi Simons are also thought to be on the club’s radar.
