Marc Bernal Shortens His Vacation and Aims for Barça's Preseason

FC Barcelona gave a vacation this weekend to the only player in the squad who continued working a couple of extra weeks at the Ciutat Esportiva after the close of 2024/25. Marc Bernal will have a well-deserved rest, albeit brief, after continuing in depth with physical preparation during the final stretch of his recovery.

The midfielder continues to evolve satisfactorily from the rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and another injury associated with the meniscus suffered in the match on matchday 3 of LaLiga against Rayo. In principle, his estimated time off was one year, but the player from Berga is aiming to shorten the deadlines for his medical discharge.

Marc Bernal will return to work two weeks before the squad

The youth player's plan establishes the return to work on July 1, two weeks before the expected date for the return of the Azulgrana squad (July 13). During his long recovery, Bernal has gained muscle mass (4 kilos) and even a handful of centimeters in height, reaching 1 meter 93 centimeters (second tallest in the squad, behind Szczesny).

In addition, the player from Berga will return to action with a professional contract, after recently renewing until 2029. His termination clause remains at 500 million euros, ruling out a departure in the medium and long term despite the rain of offers the club received in 2024.

Now, Marc is only thinking about fully recovering from his serious knee injury, shortening his return to action by about a month. The coaching staff will take him with all precautions to the place, but the sensations in recent weeks have been very positive.

Barça could have Marc Bernal for the Asian tour

In that sense, the midfielder hopes to receive medical discharge at the end of July, which could mean he could have minutes in the Asian pre-season tour. Barça will face Vissel Kobe of Japan on July 27 and then travel to South Korea.

There he will face Seoul and Daegu on July 31 and August 4. Before the trip to Asia, it is also possible to play another couple of friendlies in Morocco, although at the moment there is nothing confirmed. 

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The 2025 Azulgrana pre-season will close on Saturday, August 9 or Sunday, August 10 with the dispute of the Joan Gamper Trophy at the Spotify Camp Nou. The following weekend, LaLiga will begin, where the Culés will play the first four matchdays away from home to give extra margin to the works at the Estadi.

Meanwhile, Marc Bernal is aiming to be at his physical peak to fight for a place in Hansi Flick's scheme. Before his injury, the youth player was a starter in the first three matchdays of LaLiga.