Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United all explored the possibility of signing Barcelona’s Marc Bernal in the summer window.
The defensive midfielder graduated from Barcelona’s academy and made his first team debut in 2024.
His rapid development and potential caught the attention of a few clubs from the Premier League and La Liga. Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United belong to the former.
The 19-year-old made his debut in August 2024 and suffered a serious knee injury later that month. He spent 345 days on the sidelines and played 42 appearances since then, of which nine are from this season.
PL interest in Barcelona player
Two years ago, we relayed news of Manchester United and Newcastle United looking at the Spain international.
In July, Sport Witness covered a report from Spain explaining that Manchester City made a move to sign him. This had forced Hansi Flick’s side to think about an extension, despite the renewal in September 2025.
The two Manchester clubs, along with Liverpool and Chelsea, have all looked at the young midfielder and Sport covers the latest.
Marc Bernal is now close to signing a second contract extension in a year. The latest will be until 2031, and this is a ‘strategic move’ from Barcelona, following the interest from the Premier League.
Bernal and Barca didn’t entertain PL sides
Marc Bernal has to compete with summer signing Rodri for a place in the starting lineup. Spain manager Luis de la Fuente sees him as the former Manchester City star’s natural successor.
Rodri’s arrival could have made it complicated for the youngster. He had options to leave the Camp Nou and received offers after his compatriot’s arrival.
Sport immediately mention Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United made approaches. Atlético Madrid also showed interest as Diego Simeone was keen on including him in his squad.
The newspaper states: ‘Neither Barca nor the player wanted to explore a departure because Bernal could be a very, very important asset for the future. Therefore, Barça has secured his services until 2031 in a very ambitious agreement.’
Bernal’s second renewal in a year will only make it more challenging and expensive for the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea or Manchester United to sign him.
The two Manchester clubs signed three midfielders each in the summer window. There’s a possibility of Barcelona, via the Catalan media, using the mild interest from these clubs to create a hype around Bernal’s impending extension until 2031.
