Bernardo Silva responds to being linked with a future move to Saudi Arabia, after the Man City playmaker previously admitted he was tempted by a switch in the summer

Manchester City playmaker Bernardo Silva has provided an update on his future after being linked with a move to Saudi Arabia.

The summer transfer window saw a number of high-profile players move to the Saudi Pro League, including Silva's City team-mates Riyad Mahrez and Aymeric Laporte.

Silva admitted last month that he was also tempted by the riches on offer in the Middle East nation, but he opted to stay at City in the end, signing a new deal until 2026.

The 29-year-old believes the standard of football is only getting better in Saudi Arabia, but insisted he remains committed to the Premier League champions and wants to continue playing at an elite level.

'The Saudi League improvement has been massive, it’s because of the investment and from what we hear it’s not going to stop,' Silva said after touching down in Riyadh for the Club World Cup.

'Future in Saudi? For now, I’m focused on City, very happy playing European football, which in my opinion is the highest level.'

Silva was speaking ahead of City's Club World Cup semi-final against Japanese club Urawa Red Diamonds on Tuesday.

Should City win, they would then play in the final on Friday, meaning they would need to play just two matches in three days to win the tournament.

But the competition is set for a major expansion in 2025, with 32 clubs competing over the summer months.

Silva feels the added fixtures will only make the schedule for top players even more 'crazy' and potentially result in more injuries, but conceded they have very little say in the matter. 

'We were not consulted but we try to do our job,' he added. 'The reality is that the amount of games we have nowadays, and even more with the new competitions, it’s a bit crazy because of the [lack of] rest players get, and then the risk of injuries goes up quite a lot.'

'In my opinion, for people who love the game, if we have this many games for so long, in the end the games will lose the energy, will lose the intensity. 

'I think [the expanded Club World Cup] is a top competition so no complaints, but the amount of games and the [schedule] we have nowadays makes it complicated to be fit all the time and for our energy levels to be proper to play well.'