Manchester City began their campaign to snatch the Premier League title from Chelsea next season when they signed Portuguese playmaker Bernardo Silva from French champions Monaco in a deal reported to be worth almost 50 million euros on Friday.

Silva's arrival, set for July 1, is the first high-profile signing by City manager Pep Guardiola ahead of the 2017/18 campaign.

City gave no indication of the length of Silva's contract nor did they specify a fee, although British media reports suggested they had paid around £43 million ($55 million, 49 million euros) for the 22-year-old.