Hansi Flick Barcelona coach
Hansi Flick Barcelona coach
Barcelona have started the season in ruthless form. They have won all eight of their La Liga matches, scoring 34 goals and conceding seven.
Their biggest results include a 7-2 win over Racing Santander and 5-0 away wins at Elche and Valencia. In the Champions League, they beat Feyenoord 5-1 and then won 4-1 at Galatasaray on Tuesday after trailing in the first half.
Hansi Flick has also strengthened a deep squad. Barcelona signed Spain captain Rodri from Manchester City in a deal reported at €76.5m, and Anthony Gordon from Newcastle in a deal that could reach €80m.
Liverpool’s start under Andoni Iraola has been less convincing. They have nine points from six Premier League games, and last weekend suffered a 3-0 home defeat to Manchester City.
Midfield has drawn the most scrutiny. Curtis Jones left for Inter Milan in August in a £30m deal, and Liverpool made no senior midfield signing in the window.
Iraola has identified central midfield as a priority for reinforcement this winter, with Liverpool increasingly likely to be active in January.
The two storylines meet in a report from Spain this week.
According to SPORT, Liverpool have backed away from a pursuit of Barcelona midfielder Marc Bernal who had been on their radar for 2027.
The 19-year-old came through La Masia and has spent much of his short career recovering from a serious injury.
SPORT reports that Liverpool had considered a move worth around €60m for summer 2027. Iraola valued both Bernal’s ability and his potential to improve.
The link first surfaced earlier this month. On October 2, Spanish journalist Juan Jesus reported on X that Liverpool and Atletico Madrid were following Bernal closely, with Iraola and Diego Simeone both described as admirers.
But fresh reports in Spain say Bernal’s growing importance under Flick has now made a deal increasingly difficult. Liverpool had seen the promise of regular football as an advantage if his chances at Barcelona shrank.
That argument has lost weight as Flick gives him more opportunities. Barcelona have also moved to protect him.
According to SPORT and Mundo Deportivo, the club have agreed a new contract with Bernal until 2031, two years longer than his current deal. The €500m release clause stays unchanged, a figure Barcelona set in 2024 and kept in the new agreement.
The signing is expected to take place in president Joan Laporta’s office, with sporting director Deco present.
Bernal made his La Liga debut against Valencia on August 17, 2024. Ten days later he tore his anterior cruciate ligament against Rayo Vallecano and missed 383 days, returning on September 14, 2025.
He scored his first goal for Barcelona in a 3-0 win over Mallorca on February 7.
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