Manchester City will invite David Silva back to the club whenever fans are allowed to return to receive a fitting farewell for his decade of service to the club.
City manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed Silva will stay at Etihad Stadium until the rescheduled end of the season in August.
However, the 34-year-old has already decided he wants another challenge, with Qatar rumoured to be the Spanish World Cup-winning midfielder’s favoured option.
It means the final games of a City career that encompasses all the honours won during the Sheikh Mansour era will be played behind closed doors.
“It is unfortunate David is going to finish his last games here without people,” said Guardiola. “No-one wants it but the situation is what it is.”
Following on from Yaya Toure, Pablo Zabaleta, Joe Hart and Vincent Kompany, Silva’s exit will mark the departure of another figure from what is destined to go down as a golden era for City, when they emerged as one of the major forces in the English game.
“These incredible players know exactly what they have done to make this club what it is right now,” said Guardiola.
“David will stay until the end of the season, then, when everything is returning to normal he will come back and hopefully he can have a big farewell with people.”