Who is Stefan Bajcetic? Barcelona’s top target to replace injured Marc Bernal

Barcelona’s 2-1 victory over Rayo Vallecano on matchday 3 of La Liga was bittersweet for the Spanish club. Marc Bernal, one of the team’s young prospects, suffered an injury after a collision with a rival player and left the stadium limping.

Bernal did an outstanding job during the game but couldn’t finish it. Flick’s concern was palpable since the injury did not look good. “It is a sad victory since Marc Bernal is injured. Tomorrow in Barcelona, we will do more tests to know better what he has,” the head coach said.

Unfortunately for Barcelona’s squad and fans, medical reports highlighted the worst possible outcome: Bernal suffered a torn ACL injury and will have to be operated on within the next few days. Although the club has not provided an exact recovery time, the player is expected to miss the rest of the season.

Barcelona quickly began to look for a replacement option before the transfer market closes, and they found their top target in Liverpool player Stefan Bajcetic.

Stefan Bajcetic’s stats with Liverpool

Although the player is in advanced negotiations with Salzburg, Barcelona submitted today, 28 August, a loan offer worth $4.4 million with no buy-clause.

After being part of Celta’s academy, Bajcetic joined Liverpool’s under-18 squad when he was only 16. He played 18 games with the Red’s academy before signing his first professional contract in November 2021. He debuted with the Reds on 27 August 2022 against Bournemouth, playing 20 minutes.

The 19-year-old gained minutes with the first team when an injury crisis affected the squad in the middle of the 2022/23 season. Unfortunately for Bajcetic, a calf injury caused him to miss almost every game last season.

With 22 games played and one goal scored for Liverpool’s first team, Arne Slot considered that the best option for him is to get minutes outside the club.