Arteta Has a Soft Spot for La Masia Prospect Marc Bernal, Flick Sees Him as Busquets’ Heir

The British media outlet Sportbible and Catalan sources have confirmed that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is very impressed with 17-year-old Marc Bernal, a product of Barcelona’s La Masia youth system. Arteta has made an alleged “monster” offer to the Blaugrana for the youngster.

Born in May 2007, Bernal is a standout product of La Masia and a regular starter for Spain’s U17 national team. Last season, he made 31 appearances for Barcelona B, scoring two goals and providing three assists. He also represented Spain at the 2023 European U17 Championship and the FIFA U17 World Cup, where his performances attracted significant attention. Many experts believe that, playing as a defensive midfielder, he has a bright future ahead of him.

Arsenal are actively seeking reinforcements to prepare for the upcoming Premier League season, with the coach hoping to strengthen the midfield. In recent seasons, under the guidance of Spanish coaches, Arsenal has continued to improve but still falls short of challenging Manchester City. The coach believes that bolstering the midfield squad could help close the gap with the Sky Blues.

Arsenal are currently pursuing Real Sociedad’s Mikel Merino, while Arteta is also interested in Bernal. However, according to Catalan reports, it remains uncertain whether Barcelona would be willing to let Bernal go, as new Barcelona coach Julian Nagelsmann (Flick likely refers to Nagelsmann here by mistake) is also keeping an eye on Bernal and sees him as a potential successor to Sergio Busquets.

Sergio Busquets spent 15 years at Barcelona, winning nine league titles and three Champions League trophies. After the legendary player left Barcelona in 2023, finding his replacement proved difficult. Currently, Barcelona are actively pursuing Real Sociedad’s Ander Zubimendi, and Nagelsmann is also fond of Bernal, encouraging him to reject Arsenal’s advances and stay with the Blaugrana.

For the new season, Nagelsmann intends to make Bernal a regular member of Barcelona’s first team. Under these circumstances, Arsenal have reportedly made a “monster” offer, setting the stage for a battle to sign the player.