Barcelona star is Aston Villa’s ‘top priority’ signing this summer

A member of the midfield ranks at La Liga champions Barcelona has made his way to the very top of the summer transfer wishlist at Premier League club Aston Villa.

This comes amid the understanding that Unai Emery has identified Marc Bernal as a necessary addition to his engine room setup at Villa Park.

Youngster Bernal is for his part fresh off something of a bounce-back campaign in Catalunya’s capital in 2025/26. Working his way back towards full fitness following a long-term spell on the sidelines with an ACL injury, the 19-year-old went on to rack up 33 appearances across all competitions.

Along the way, Bernal showed off a new side to his game, too, chipping in with five goals despite generally being deployed in a deep-lying role at the base of midfield.

And as alluded to above, such exploits evidently did not go unnoticed on the part of those behind the scenes at Aston Villa. As per a report from Mundo Deportivo, citing The Sun:

‘Aston Villa’s top priority this summer is the signing of Barcelona midfielder Marc Bernal.’

The Claret and Blue have been tipped to launch a €35 million assault on the Spaniard’s signature, albeit with both Barcelona and Bernal himself eager to continue their journey together this coming season.

Conor Laird – GSFN