Real Madrid have made Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva a top transfer target for the end of the season, claims The Daily Mirror.
The reigning European champions are expected to invest big money in the summer following a disastrous first half of the season.
Madrid failed to sufficiently replace Cristiano Ronaldo last summer and are also expected to find long-term replacements for ageging players like Luka Modric.
Tottenham’s Christian Eriksen has been heavily linked with a move to Madrid in the last week but it has now emerged that Silva is also on their radar.
The Portugal international is only into his second season at City following his relatively cheap £43m move from Monaco in the summer of 2017.
After struggling for regular playing time during his first campaign, Silva has emerged as a star player for Pep Guardiola’s side this term.
City believe the 24-year-old is David Silva’s long-term replacement but will now have to fend off interest from Madrid.
Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus and Kevin De Bruyne have all signed new long-term deals since the beginning of last year and Madrid’s interest could fast-forward City’s plans to secure Silva's long-term future.
Silva has already started five more games in the Premier League this season (20) compared to his debut campaign for City and it’s no surprise he has been directly involved in more goals (11 vs 10).
