Barcelona had received a €30 million offer for La Masia sensation in January

The January transfer window witnessed Barcelona having a busy time recalibrating the youth team, more than the first team.

With Dro and a few others departing, the club took great time and effort to shore up their ranks in the reserve squad.

However, that’s not to say that the club weren’t busy when it came to first-team dealings. In fact, in the last few weeks of the January market, Barcelona received an offer for Marc Bernal that was hard to refuse.

Galatasaray’s ambitious bid for Bernal

According to Diario SPORT, Galatasaray had approached Barcelona for Bernal late in the window, with an offer that raised many eyebrows.

The Turkish giants were willing to pay up to €30 million for a midfielder who has featured in just 21 competitive matches for the club.

Galatasaray were also willing to triple Bernal’s current salary at Barcelona – an offer that had set off alarm bells within the Blaugrana camp.

Galatasaray were so desperate to sign Bernal that the president, Okan Buruk, himself took the mantle of negotiating this deal with Barcelona.

However, the move did not materialise at the end. It appears Galatasaray were far too late, as Bernal was already set to regain some prominence in the first team.

Now, the failed move to Istanbul has worked out well for the young midfielder, who recently scored in the 3-0 win over Mallorca, much to the delight of his teammate Lamine Yamal.

As the Barcelona midfield once again goes through a shuffle, Bernal may have an opportunity to prove his mettle and gain more game time.

However, it will be important to ensure that the youngster remains fully fit, knowing Barcelona won’t like to take any risks with his fitness.