Barcelona are staring down the abyss in terms of their midfield options because 17-year-old Marc Bernal picked up an ACL injury during the Rayo Vallecano win in midweek.
Frenkie de Jong and Gavi are already out injured and now, Bernal’s potentially season-ending injury has left a gaping hole in the middle of the pitch for the Blaugrana. Hansi Flick currently has only two central midfielders at his disposal – Pedri and Fermin Lopez because FDJ, Bernal and Gavi are out injured while the club has sold Ilkay Gundogan to Manchester City.
Bernal has a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and he’s also injured his lateral meniscus which basically means the youngster is going to be out for most of the season. This is why Barcelona are planning to make a late midfield signing and according to Fabrizio Romano, the Catalans are planning to sign Liverpool youngster Stefan Bajcetic on a loan deal.
The transfer expert has said: “Barcelona submit straight loan proposal to Liverpool for talented midfielder Stefan Bajcetic! More exclusive details: loan bid worth €4m fee, NO buy clause.
“After loan bid from RB Salzburg on Tuesday, now Barça try to make it happen after Bernal injury.”
Does going after Stefan Bajcetic make sense for Barcelona?
Stefan Bajcetic is a product of Liverpool’s academy and since 2022, the midfielder has played only 22 times for the Anfield outfit. He is primarily a central midfielder and currently, that is the only quality that Hansi Flick needs for the next couple of months.
Last season, he played only one Premier League match for Liverpool and the new manager has no use for him in this campaign.
Arne Slot has a well-stocked midfield with the likes of Dominik Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch, Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott in the squad so the manager won’t mind sending Stefan Bajcetic to Barcelona for some much-needed experience.
The youngster is currently in limbo because he is neither getting game time for the senior side nor playing in the Premier League 2. In such a scenario, the midfielder won’t mind joining a team like Barcelona for one season.
Stefan Bajcetic might not possess the talent to play regularly under Hansi Flick, but the manager has no other choice. The untimely injury to Bernal has thrown Barcelona’s plans into disarray. They do not have time to devise a proper transfer strategy, and even if they identify a suitable central midfielder, their poor financial situation will prevent them from making the signing.
Gavi won’t return until September, and De Jong is sidelined until November. With Pedri also prone to injury, any setback for him will be disastrous for Barcelona’s season. While there’s no denying that Liverpool’s Stefan Bajcetic isn’t a world-class talent, if the youngster can fill the gap in midfield until the injured players return, then his €4 million loan fee will be well justified.
