Bernardo Silva
The Portugal international midfielder will leave Manchester City this summer and has no shortage of top-level suitors, leaving it unlikely a switch to MLS comes upon his City departure.
NYCFC would love to sign him, but sources believe the player is not focused on MLS at this juncture. NYCFC and Manchester City are both owned by City Football Group, leading to a natural connection.
Silva, 31, would immediately become one of the league’s best players, and he figures to be a key figure for Portugal’s World Cup hopes this summer.
NYCFC will open a new stadium in the summer of 2027 and could add a DP if it wanted to. The club hasn’t had a true global star since the era of David Villa, Frank Lampard and Andrea Pirlo in the 2010s.