Arsenal monitoring Manchester City star ahead of surprise potential £60m transfer

Arsenal are reportedly among the clubs monitoring Manchester City playmaker Bernardo Silva this summer, though Real Madrid are said to be at the front of the queue for his signature.

The Portugal international has a £60million release clause in his Man City contract, and it seems there’s no shortage of interest in him ahead of the summer as he may not stay at the Etihad Stadium.

It seems Real Madrid are leading the race for Silva at the moment, according to the Daily Star, though their report also mentions the likes of Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain keeping an eye on the 29-year-old’s situation.

City notably allowed both Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko to move to the Emirates Stadium in the summer of 2022, and perhaps didn’t end up being the best decision on their part as it helped Mikel Arteta’s side become more serious title contenders.

Of course, Pep Guardiola still managed to guide City to the treble that year, but Arsenal weren’t that far away from them in the title race, so they’ll surely be a lot more careful about selling top players to the north London giants again any time soon.

Silva transfer: Should Arsenal trigger his release clause?

Arsenal could do with a bit more attacking spark in their side after a dip in form from Gabriel Martinelli this season, while the jury is still out on Kai Havertz, and Jesus has proven very injury prone since joining from City.

There could be room for Silva to come in, but £60m for a 29-year-old might not fit the Arsenal recruitment philosophy.

Many Gunners fans would surely welcome the arrival of Silva, but there could also be younger players out there who’d move for a similar price, so he perhaps shouldn’t be the number one priority.

Either way, it perhaps seems more likely that we’ll see Silva move to Madrid, and he may perhaps be tempted by a new challenge abroad with such an historic name in European football.