Girona look to recreate Eric Garcia success story with another Barcelona player – Report | OneFootball

It has been some time since FC Barcelona midfielder Marc Bernal received medical clearance to return to competitive action after spending almost a year on the sidelines with a serious ACL injury. However, his involvement has remained extremely limited as the club continues to manage his comeback with great caution and patience.

So far this season, the 18-year-old has played just 120 minutes across eight appearances, a situation influenced both by his recovery process and the fierce competition for places in Barcelona midfield.

Furthermore, his recent cameo against Real Betis offered a clear glimpse of the potential he still possesses and reminded everyone of the level he showed before his injury.

However, the lack of regular game time has now begun to attract outside interest ahead of the upcoming winter transfer window. According to journalist Nil Solà (via Mundo Deportivo), Girona are keen on securing Marc Bernal on loan until the end of the season.

The club from Montilivi wants to reinforce Míchel’s squad after a difficult start to the campaign and believes the young midfielder could play an important role in their push for stability and consistency.

Girona are hoping to repeat the successful formula they used with Eric Garcia two seasons ago. The centre back enjoyed a strong loan spell at the club, gaining valuable game time and returning to Barcelona as a more complete player.

That pathway is now seen as an ideal model for Bernal, who needs regular minutes and a competitive rhythm at the highest level.

A move to Girona would offer Bernal exactly that opportunity, and, as things stand, the player is not ruling out such a switch. However, a final decision will only be taken after he evaluates how his situation develops in the remaining matches before the end of the year.

It is also worth noting that Barcelona are only open to a temporary departure. The club continues to have great faith in Bernal’s long-term future, something that was made clear with his contract renewal at the end of September, which runs until 2029 and includes a €500 million release clause to ward off interested clubs.