Barcelona gem rejected a six-month loan exit proposed by club despite interest from seven teams | OneFootball

After more than a year out, Marc Bernal is set to return to the FC Barcelona matchday squad this weekend for their game against Valencia.

The 18-year-old prodigy suffered an ACL injury in only his third official game for the first team last season and has spent the past year working extremely hard on his recovery and rehabilitation.

Barcelona proposed a short loan exit for Bernal

Now, it has emerged that Barcelona had considered the idea of sending Bernal out on a short-term loan during the summer window.

Indeed, according to Mundo Deportivo, the Blaugrana proposed the idea of a loan exit to Bernal, with an option for returning in January.

Bernal rejected a chance to leave on loan. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

The idea was to guarantee the 18-year-old prodigy more minutes than Hansi Flick might be able to offer, so that he can recover his rhythm after spending a long time out.

There was no shortage of suitors as well, with as many as seven teams expressing interest. The likes of AS Roma, Chelsea, Brighton & Hove Albion, Everton, Valencia, Girona and Real Betis all enquired about him.

But Bernal turned it down flat. A product of La Masia and a Cule through and through, his dream remains clear: to succeed at Barça.

As such, the recent interest from Saudi Arabian giants Al-Nassr is also not playing on Bernal’s mind, as he is simply not considering the possibility of a departure from Barcelona.