The Midlanders have been transformed by the Basque and continue to go from strength to strength under his leadership, ending last season by winning the Europa League, as well as qualifying for the UCL thanks to their fourth-place Premier League finish.
Bernal isn't yet a regular starter at Barcelona
In order for the Villans to continue moving forward and not fall into the trap that has befallen Newcastle United on the last two occasions in which they've qualified for the Champions League, getting the balance right is imperative.
It's perhaps with that in mind that reports in Spain are suggesting that Emery has targeted young Barcelona star Marc Bernal.
Though Bernal hasn't yet cemented himself as a regular starter for the club, and that's as much to do with a serious injury at the start of the 2024/25 campaign as anything else, he's always been regarded as the natural successor to Sergio Busquets. A lofty comparison indeed, though not without merit.
Bernal became part of the Barca first-team squad at roughly the same age as Busquets did back in 2008, and as he's been handed more match time, he's looked incredibly comfortable at the base of midfield.
Player is 'untouchable' for Hansi Flick
Not to mention his abilities at the other end of the pitch, too, which saw him bag a few goals in 2025/26.
It's understood that Emery has instructed the Villa board to test Barca's resolve with a £30m bid for a player whom opposite number Hansi Flick regards as "untouchable."
Having only just turned 19 years of age, Bernal has years to develop and hone his talents, and unless Barcelona are absolutely desperate for finances, there seems to be no good reason why they accede to Villa's wishes, or those of any other interested parties, which are believed to include Man Utd, Man City and Arsenal at this stage.
Of course, the player himself may well value the opportunity to be handed more match time, as although his appearance record for 25/26 will show that he played 33 times, he actually started only 15 of those matches, and his 1,313 minutes on the pitch were well down on his colleagues'.
Superb pass and tackle completion
Though he only attempted 890 passes across the campaign, he did manage to complete 806 of them, which ensured that Bernal was one of only a few Barca players to breach the 90% mark for completed passes (90.56%).
He also had one of the highest duel success rates in the squad, at 53.22%, after winning 91 of his 171 one-on-ones.
Only Marcus Rashford and Ronald Araujo had a better tackle completion percentage than Bernal, with the youngster posting a remarkable 67.65%, after winning 23 of his 34 tackles.
Indeed, his abilities in this regard, and the silky way in which he brought the ball out of defence thereafter, became a real feature of Barca's play last season.
Physical presence
A lithe but nonetheless imposing figure, Bernal not only often helped to stave off attacks at one end, thanks to his sheer physical attributes, but he was adept at getting up the pitch and being in the right place at the right time in the opposition penalty area.
An appreciation of space and of where his teammates were likely to place the ball also ensured he scored five goals and provided one assist in 24/25.
That's certainly not a bad return for a central defensive midfielder still learning his trade.
Ultimately, any transfer decision could be taken out of Bernal's hands, too.
If the price is right, there's every possibility the board would be happy to risk another fan backlash, despite knowing what they would lose if they concluded the player was surplus to requirements.
Either way, with the new season soon upon us, the Catalan giants need to make up their minds about exactly what they wish to do to ensure as little disruption as possible.
Jason Pettigrove has been the features writer for Flashscore since 2025, utilising Opta data to form the basis of his articles. He has previously worked for high profile football clubs, news and media outlets, both in print and digital, and can usually be found watching FC Barcelona when time permits. You can read more of his pieces here.
