Galatasaray-Barcelona Race for Bernardo Silva: €15 Million Offer Ready

The Bernardo Silva race that started between Istanbul and Barcelona on Wednesday night brought the Galatasaray side to an important decision point. The yellow-and-reds, who closed the 2025-26 season in the Süper Lig with a championship and who have stars such as Victor Osimhen, Mauro Icardi, Leroy Sane, İlkay Gündoğan in their squad, declared the 30-year-old Portuguese as a priority target for the number 10 position in their plan to build a competitive squad for the Champions League. According to Fotomaç's report, the offer prepared by the Football Director is in the nature of a last move; Milliyet, on the other hand, wrote that the annual salary is around 15 million Euros.

The picture from the Galatasaray side is optimistic. According to Sabah Gazetesi's news, the first contacts made with Bernardo Silva were positive; it was reported that the player rejected high-amount offers from Saudi Arabia due to his desire to continue his career in Europe. There is another argument in the transfer prepared as the second resounding star move of the yellow-and-reds in the summer transfer period when Leroy Sane came from Bayern Munich: Sane's and Gündoğan's efforts to direct Bernardo to Galatasaray. The possibility of meeting in Istanbul of this trio, who played together for years at Manchester City, is one of the details that excites fans in Turkey.

However, the news bent in a completely different direction with a shocking development on Wednesday morning. Spain's SER radio announced that Bernardo Silva had shaken hands with Barcelona. According to the news, Hansi Flick approved the transfer and the Portuguese player is expected to officially sign his contract after the World Cup. If this claim is verified, it is a heavy picture for Galatasaray: Against the gravitational power of Camp Nou and the prestige of La Liga, they will have to turn to alternatives for the number 10 project. So far, no official confirmation has come from either Bernardo's side or Manchester City; the claims only progress through the Spanish press.

Bernardo Silva's 2025-26 season statistics are 3 goals and 5 assists in 53 matches — this is a picture in which the last season he spent at Manchester City was unproductive. The Portuguese midfielder has won 6 Premier Leagues, 1 Champions League, 1 FIFA Club World Cup and numerous domestic cups with the City jersey since 2017. 30 is a critical threshold for European elite midfielders; the player is expected to make his decision at the end of June, and according to Goal Türkiye's news, Bernardo Silva, who is waiting for all offers to come to the table, is not in a hurry. In another news of Tribuna, it is claimed that Juventus has joined the race with Luciano Spalletti's personal pitch; the picture is multi-layered.

The rivals against Galatasaray management are not only Barcelona. ESPN emphasised that other clubs are also in the race; significant offers also came from Saudi Pro League and MLS. Still, Bernardo Silva's clear message was "I want to stay in Europe". Galatasaray's playing in the Champions League in terms of budget and the quality of Portuguese-speaking players in the team (Sane's German/English is also effective) are among the important cards. If the transfer materialises, Bernardo Silva will be perhaps the biggest midfielder signing made on behalf of Galatasaray in the last 5 years; if not, Galatasaray may turn to alternatives such as Sergio Roberto, Adrien Rabiot or Hakan Çalhanoğlu. Until the end of June, the door of Bernardo Silva is not entirely considered closed for the yellow-and-red management; however, the pressure created by the Barcelona news is increasing day by day.

Image: transfermarkt.com.tr