Bernardo Silva Names 4 Benfica Players He Wants at Manchester City

Bernardo Silva has listed four of Benfica's young players he would like to see join Manchester City.

The former Benfica player returned to his native Portugal earlier this week, and in an interview with Sol (h/t Charlotte Duncker of the Manchester Evening News), the 24-year-old made it clear he would like to see a number of the current side follow him to City:

"It is very good the bet that Benfica has made on youngsters, from Ferro, Joao Felix, Florentino [Luis], to Jota, who has played less. I wish I could take the youngsters from Benfica to Manchester. They are all very good."

Silva is a graduate of Benfica's youth academy, and he joined City in 2017 after a three-season spell with Monaco.

He has starred for City this season and was nominated for the PFA Player of the Year award:

The Sky Blues are on track to win a second successive Premier League title this term.

However, unlike last season when they won the league at a canter, they have been pushed all the way this term by Liverpool and can ill afford any slip-ups in the last two games of the campaign against Leicester City and Brighton & Hove Albion:

As such, it would be no surprise to see manager Pep Guardiola enter the transfer market again this summer in order to bolster his already phenomenal squad, not least as City again fell short in the UEFA Champions League this season.

Of the four Benfica players praised by Silva, forward Felix is the biggest name.

Still only 19, he made his senior Benfica debut last August and has gone on to be one of the best attackers in the Portuguese top flight this term, netting 13 goals and providing seven assists in 23 appearances.

He has also made an impact in European competition:

Centre-back Ferro has already been linked with City, and the 22-year-old has a €100 million (£86 million) release clause that Benfica are not prepared to negotiate on, according to Record (h/t Sport Witness). 

Along with Ferro, Jota, 20, and Florentino, 19, were only recently promoted to the Benfica first team, but they all look to be exciting prospects who a number of major European teams will likely be keeping an eye on.

Silva also offered his opinion on Bruno Fernandes, who has netted 16 goals and provided 12 assists in the league this season for Sporting Lisbon.

The 24-year-old midfielder has been linked with City, and Silva was full of praise for his fellow Portugal international, per O Jogo (h/t Duncker):

"Bruno [Fernandes] is a great player. He has made a fantastic season with many goals, many assists that are not normal for a player of his position, he has the spearhead numbers and we will see what happens at the end of the season. [He is a] player who can play in other championships."