€500M DILEMMA: GIRONA TARGETS MARC BERNAL LOAN AS BARCELONA RISK LOSING TALENT
Girona wants €500m-rated talent Marc Bernal on loan in January due to his lack of minutes under Flick. The move is necessary for his Spain U-21 prospects.
Good news for Barcelona fans: Joan Garcia should be ready to play in Tuesday's Champions League match against Eintracht Frankfurt at Camp Nou.
There was some concern when Garcia was seen limping after Saturday's win against Real Betis. He also trained in the gym on Sunday.
But Javi Miguel from Diario AS reported on X that Garcia is fine. He said Garcia isn't worried and that it's just a minor knock, and he'll be back training with the other goalkeepers soon.
This is a boost for Hansi Flick's team as they get ready to face Frankfurt, who are coming off a rough 6-0 loss to RB Leipzig and have some attackers dealing with injuries.
Michy Batshuayi had to leave the Leipzig game early due to injury, and Jonathan Burkardt is also likely to miss the Barcelona match.
Frankfurt's coach, Dino Toppmoller, didn't hold back after Saturday's defeat, even apologizing to the fans.
He told reporters that Leipzig deserved to win by that much because his team played poorly in the second. He said they weren't sharp enough and made it too easy for Leipzig. He added that it was a very poor showing overall and apologized to the fans who traveled to support them.
In other news, Girona is interested in taking Barcelona's Marc Bernal on loan in January. The 18-year-old hasn't played much since returning from an ACL injury he picked up in the 2024-25 season.
Bernal wants to play more.
After breaking into Barcelona's youth system in 2024-25, Bernal's season was cut short by a knee injury in a game against Rayo Vallecano in August 2024. After being out for over a year, he was declared fit on September 13, 2025.
Bernal made a great comeback, getting an assist in a 6-0 win against Valencia. Since then, he's only played in a few games and wants more playing time under coach Flick.
Mundo Deportivo reported in November that Bernal is thinking about his options for the January transfer window. While Barcelona doesn't want him to leave, he may want a loan move to get more minutes on the field.
Nil Sola reports that Girona is thinking about making an offer to sign Bernal on loan in January. They're looking to strengthen their squad after a tough start to the season. Girona is near the bottom of the league, with only two wins in their first 15 games.
Sola said on Catalunya Radio that Marc Bernal is a player Girona really likes and would be very interested in signing if a loan is possible.
Bernal's lack of playing time is also affecting his chances with the national team.
He was left out of the Spain U-21 squad in November, with the coach saying it was because he wasn't playing enough for Barcelona. The coach said that Bernal is one of their own, but he's not in a good situation right now because he's not getting enough playing time.
Bernal has a huge release clause in his contract.
It might be hard for Bernal to leave Barcelona permanently. The club extended his contract until 2029 and set a release clause of €500 million. The club said they rate him highly and plan to include him in the team in the future. But they might let him go on loan in January so he can get more experience.
BARTOMEU UNCOVERS SECRET 2017 MBAPPé BID DURING REVEALING CADENA SER INTERVIEW
Josep Maria Bartomeu reveals Barcelona targeted Kylian Mbappé in 2017, but coaches preferred a move for Ousmane Dembélé instead
Former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has just dropped a bit of a bombshell: right after Neymar left for PSG, Barcelona actually went after Kylian Mbappe. That chaotic summer in 2017, when Neymar's record-breaking move sent shockwaves through the club, left them scrambling for a new superstar.
Bartomeu admitted in an interview with SER that Neymar’s shock exit caught everyone off guard. “Neymar’s departure came as a shock to the club; we didn’t want him to leave,” he said. Suddenly, Barcelona was scouring the market for big names, and with Mbappe starring at Monaco, he became their top target.
But here’s the twist: even though the club reached out for both Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele, the coaching staff made the final call. Bartomeu explained, “We made an offer for Mbappe and another for Dembele. The coaching staff preferred Dembele.” So, instead of pushing for Mbappe, Barcelona pressed ahead with Dembele, ultimately striking a deal with Borussia Dortmund worth €105 million plus add-ons.
Of course, there was the small matter of money, too. Bartomeu clarified that the price Monaco set for Mbappe was simply out of reach: €180 million, take it or leave it, and it was PSG who could step up. “It wasn’t an offer in the strict sense. They would say to you, "He's worth €180 million." If you want Mbappe, it’s €180 million, and Paris paid it.” Between the steep price and the coaching staff’s strong preference for Dembele, Barcelona backed off.
Bartomeu also opened up about how he handled transfers during his tenure. One thing stood out: after he pushed for the Luis Suarez signing from Liverpool despite all the controversy and got hammered with criticism, he decided to step back and trust the technical staff from then on. Suarez went on to win the Champions League and four La Liga titles with Barcelona, but that experience taught Bartomeu a lesson. “The only decision I made as president or as an administrator, and which I defended vigorously, was the signing of Suarez,” he said. “I was heavily criticised by all the media, so I learned the lesson that the president or administrators cannot interfere in sporting matters. We must trust the technical staff, the sporting directors, and the coaches; it is they who decide on signings.”
BARCELONA SECURE 14-POINT LEAD OVER MADRID; ESPANYOL RESULT NOW DETERMINES TITLE
Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres scored late to move Barcelona 14 points clear, leaving them one Madrid loss from the title.
Barcelona now sit 14 points ahead of Real Madrid, and if Madrid slips up against Espanyol on Sunday, the title’s theirs.
Lewandowski finally broke the deadlock after 81 minutes, nodding in a header, and Torres added another four minutes from the end. Osasuna didn't quit, though Raul Garcia pulled one back late, but Barcelona held on for all three points. They’re inching closer to a second league title in a row, the club’s 29th overall.
If Madrid beats Espanyol, Barcelona’s next chance to seal it comes in the Clásico on May 10 against their biggest rivals.
Flick’s trying to keep his team’s focus on the next match rather than the Clasico, but Barcelona played the first half like a squad with little to lose. Missing the injured Lamine Yamal, they lost a chunk of their energy on the attack. Sure, they dominated possession, but breaking down Osasuna for real chances? That was tough.
Roony Bardghji, filling in for Yamal on the right, managed a decent long shot, but Osasuna’s keeper, Sergio Herrera, had no trouble stopping it. Honestly, Osasuna nearly shocked everyone before halftime. Ante Budimir battled through two defenders and poked the ball off the post.
Barcelona picked up the pace after the break. Dani Olmo should’ve scored from close range, but he fluffed it. Flick then rolled the dice from the bench, bringing on three subs, including Marcus Rashford, on loan from Manchester United, to take over the right flank.
Rashford almost made an immediate impact, curling a shot just over and injecting some much-needed speed. He set up the opener too, swinging in a perfect cross for Lewandowski, who lost his marker and buried his header. Torres, another sub, finished with precision to double the lead.
Still, it wasn’t comfortable. Garcia scored for Osasuna in stoppage time, left wide open in the box, forcing Barcelona to sweat out the last minutes. The Catalans dug in, clearing everything in sight as Osasuna pressed, but finally, they held on for their tenth league win in a row. Now, all they can do is wait.
