Aston Villa intend to make an official £30m transfer offer for 19-year-old Barcelona midfielder Marc Bernal.
Villa's head coach Unai Emery has identified the young Spanish midfielder as his priority transfer target this summer. Nevertheless, the hierarchy at the Catalan club continues to insist that the player is not for sale.
Previously, Barcelona rejected bids from other clubs of around £25m. The Blaugrana regard Bernal as an absolutely untouchable asset following his outstanding debut season, in which he made 33 appearances and scored 5 goals across all competitions, winning the La Liga title under Hansi Flick.
In addition to Aston Villa, other European football giants have shown interest in the player, but Barcelona are not planning to part with their academy graduate from La Masia. The Birmingham club will need to put forth significant efforts to try and persuade the Catalan officials otherwise.
