Atlético Madrid is going shopping for midfielders this summer, and the wish list reads like a who’s who of European talent. The club plans to bring in two central midfield reinforcements ahead of the 2026/27 season, with Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva sitting at the top of the shortlist.
Here’s the thing about Silva: his contract with City expires on June 30, 2026, making him available on a free transfer. For a club that has already signed 16 players over the last two transfer windows, adding a player of Silva’s caliber without a transfer fee would be, to put it mildly, a significant win.
The target list
Silva is the headline name, but he’s far from the only midfielder on Atlético’s radar. The club has been linked with Morten Hjulmand from Sporting CP, Brighton’s Matt O’Riley, who is valued at around €30 million, and Aleix Garcia from Bayer Leverkusen.
The Barcelona problem
