Transfer Rumour: Manchester United plot move for Monaco playmaker Bernardo Silva

Manchester United are reportedly plotting a summer move for Bernardo Silva, but could face competition from Real Madrid.

The Sun have reported that Manchester United are lining up a move for AS Monaco playmaker Bernardo Silva, but are likely to face competition from Real Madrid, with Los Blancos credited with interest as well. The Ligue 1 leaders have placed a £70 million valuation on the Portugal international.

Bernardo Silva is one of the most highly rated youngsters in Europe right now, and his stock has constantly been on the rise ever since he made the move to France from Benfica in 2015, joining AS Monaco on a permanent transfer after impressing on loan at the club in the 2014/15 season.

The move to Monaco has been highly fruitful for Silva, and the Portuguese has established himself as a regular in the first team squad. He has already notched up 119 appearances for the Ligue 1 leaders, scoring 31 goals while assisting 20 times.

This season, Silva has made 23 starts for Monaco, netting seven times while assisting a further six goals, and has been an influential figure in a side that has been the most prolific team in league competitions across Europe, with a massive 60 goals in just 20 Ligue 1 games.

What is so impressive about Silva is his versatility, as the Portuguese is adept at playing as an attacking midfielder as well as a winger on either flank. And with his clever change of pace as well as his eye for goal, he is a dangerous proposition for opposition defences.

Silva’s potential move to Manchester United will be a part of compatriot Jose Mourinho’s second phase of his squad overhaul, with Antoine Griezmann also reportedly edging closer to sealing a transfer to Old Trafford in the summer after ‘verbally agreeing’ a deal with the club.

A move to Manchester United, however, would see Mourinho’s options swell, with the likes of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Juan Mata, Anthony Martial, Jesse Lingard and captain Wayne Rooney already available to choose from.

The report states that United could face stiff competition from Real Madrid, but a factor that could work in their favour is Silva’s agent Jorge Mendes, who also represents Manchester United manager Mourinho.

And Mourinho will have a chance to have a closer look at the player next month, with Manchester United facing AS Monaco in the first knockout round of the UEFA Europa League. Real Madrid is also in the mix though, and it’ll be interesting to see if Silva makes a move in the summer or stays put at Stade Louis II.