Better than Caicedo: Chelsea told unbelievable price tag for midfield solution

21 Sept 2026 17:02 BST | 4 min read

Moises Caicedo, Ecuador, Chelsea, 2025/26 — © IMAGO

Tom Weber | Writer

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Barcelona midfielder Marc Bernal is set to sign a new long-term contract - and this is bad news for Chelsea.

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After a difficult two years, which began with an ACL tear and ended with a fairly slow reintegration into the Barcelona first team, the 19-year-old is now close to being back to his very best.

Bernal emerged as a huge talent at 17, only to be stopped dead in his tracks by that serious injury. Although he has yet to nail down a guaranteed starting spot this term, his importance to Hansi Flick's side can't be overstated.

Current ETV

Marc Bernal

M, DM (C)

Barcelona

Marc Bernal

M, DM (C)

Barcelona

ETV Range

€11.4M - €13.9M

Bernal, who started Barcelona's first three LaLiga games of the season while new signing Rodri was still getting up to speed, provides defensive balance and, despite being built like a towering destroyer-type, an elegant attacking impetus from deep.

Unsurprisingly, though, since Rodri has established himself as one of the first names on the team sheet, Bernal has been relegated to a substitute role. Nevertheless, he has featured in every fixture so far this season.

Bernal's huge release clause

Barcelona are set to reward the teenager's development with a new contract, as per Mundo Deportivo. Bernal will sign on until 2031 imminently, "barring any last-minute changes."

Intriguingly, his release clause will not be changed as part of the new deal. That's because it already stood at a whopping €500 million, so Barcelona feel that there is no reason to amend it. After all, nobody will pay such a hefty fee anyway.

The Catalans want to show the youngster that he is an integral part of their team and that, despite the signing of Rodri, they believe that he is the future of their club. They consider him "one of the most promising talents" to emerge from La Masia.

His release clause is to serve as a deterrent to potential suitors. Earlier this month, it was claimed that Man Utd and Chelsea had taken a liking to Bernal. They believed that a January move might be possible, but this new contract is set to throw a spanner in the works.

This will be a big blow to Chelsea in particular. They failed to replace Enzo Fernandez in the summer and supposedly viewed Bernal as an ideal long-term successor to the Argentine. The early stages of this season have already shown that the Blues need another midfielder.

What will be especially frustrating is the fact that Bernal could easily develop into the best central midfielder at Stamford Bridge. According to analytics firm SciSports, Bernal has immense potential.

The experts' data shows that the Spain U21 international's ceiling is higher than the current level of any Chelsea player, including Moises Caicedo. It is worth mentioning, though, that the Ecuador star himself is only 24 and can still improve, too.

Nevertheless, it illustrates just what a special talent Bernal is and how much of a blow his new contract will be to Chelsea. Unless Barcelona find themselves in financial trouble and need to sell players again, the €500m-rated wonderkid may be unattainable for the foreseeable future.