Chelsea are reportedly leading the race ahead of Manchester United to sign Barcelona midfielder Marc Bernal, as per GiveMeSport.
The 19-year-old started his youth career at Berga before spending a brief period with Gimnàstic Manresa. He joined the Blaugrana’s famous La Masia academy at the age of six.
After coming through their youth system, the youngster made his first-team debut a couple of years ago. However, he sustained a serious knee injury; as a result, he was sidelined throughout the 2024/25 campaign.
Having returned to full fitness, Bernal featured as a rotational option last term, making six goal contributions across all competitions. The midfielder has won two La Liga titles and a domestic cup competition at Camp Nou thus far.
Now, GiveMeSport report that Chelsea are interested in signing Bernal as a potential long-term replacement for Enzo Fernandez, who joined Manchester City on deadline day. The West London club are monitoring the Spaniard’s development closely before making a potential swoop.
Bernal started the first few games of this season amid Frenkie de Jong’s recent injury absence, but following Rodrigo Hernandez’s arrival, Bernal has found himself down in the pecking order.
Therefore, the West London club are considering signing him in January by taking advantage of his current situation, with the Blues having funds to spend.
Battle
The report state that Man Utd are also keeping a close eye on his situation, but Chelsea are currently the frontrunners to secure his services if he leaves Barcelona.
Bernal is valued at around £26m by Transfermarkt and still has a contract until 2029. Therefore, the Catalan giants are in a strong position to demand a big fee if they are forced to cash-in on him.
Bernal is a 6ft 4in tall left-footed deep-lying playmaker but is also comfortable in the box-to-box role. He is technically sound, can play threading passes between the lines, and has the ability to chip in with some important goals.
Moreover, he is efficient in defensive contributions. Bernal is a talented player and possesses the potential to reach the top. So, he would be a great coup for Chelsea or Man Utd should either club purchase him.
However, it is going to be interesting to see whether Xabi Alonso’s side eventually manage to secure his services by defeating Michael Carrick’s side in this race.
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