Unai Emery
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has made an 'untouchable' Barcelona star his top target this summer as the club looks to reinvest the £117 million banked through the sale of Morgan Rogers.
The Villans have already splurged on Joao Gomes from Wolves, and a club-record £50 million on SC Freiburg winger Johan Manzambi, but the most impressive coup could still be to come.
Barcelona midfielder Marc Bernal has caught the eye of several Premier League clubs after a breakthrough 2025/26 campaign and Aston Villa are one of the sides considering an ambitious swoop.
Unai Emery pushes for Barcelona transfer
Unai Emery
The Sun reports that Emery is a 'big fan' of Bernal and has personally asked the transfer chiefs at Aston Villa to bid for the 19-year-old.
Bernal played 33 times and scored five goals for the Catalan giants last term, helping Barcelona to the La Liga title. It was an important campaign for the player, who had suffered an ACL injury in August 2024, when just 17 years old. Bernal missed the majority of that season and was sidelined for the beginning of the 2025/26 campaign.
Barcelona boss Hansi Flick has labelled the rising star as 'untouchable' in a bid to deter suitors, but that has not put off Emery. It's claimed that Aston Villa will submit a £30 million bid for the midfielder and are frontrunners for a deal at this stage.
The Spanish side have already rejected multiple bids around the £25 million mark this summer, with Manchester City one of the teams known to have made an enquiry about the player.
Man City interest is known to have been quickly rejected, with Enzo Maresca's side told that a sale would not happen 'under current circumstances', which has given hope that Barcelona are open to negotiating.
Aston Villa face competition for Marc Bernal
Marc Bernal
Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Atletico Madrid are all named as other clubs monitoring a move for Bernal, who came through the ranks at Barcelona alongside Lamine Yamal and Pau Curbasi.
Bernal made his debut for the Spanish national side in a June friendly but was not included in the squad that would go on to win the World Cup.
The player is currently content to stay at Barcelona and fight for his place, keen to capitalise on the absence of the injured Frenkie De Jong, and outlining Champions League triumph as his ultimate ambition.
He said: “My objective is to try to reach the best level possible and play as many minutes as I can to help the team.
“I see myself as a starter. Everyone has to believe in themselves and in everything they can offer and contribute to the team.”