LaLiga Transfer Talk: Are strugglers Girona in the January market for Bailey and Bernal?

With the January transfer window fully open, the latest transfer talk coming out of LaLiga suggests two potential incomings for Girona plus Barcelona targeting a high-profile Premier League star.

LaLiga Transfer Talk

Marc Bernal from Barcelona to Girona

With Girona currently submerged in a hotly contested relegation battle, involving no fewer than half of LaLiga’s representatives, defensive reinforcements could be a smart addition throughout the January transfer window.

The latest defender to be linked to the Estadi Montilivi is Barcelona’s wonderkid Bernal. Surely familiar to all players of Football Manager, Bernal is one of the most up-and-coming centre-backs across the beautiful game, and there is every chance a loan move could be in the pipeline.

With Girona having shipped a division-high 34 league goals across the 2025/26 campaign, manager Míchel surely knows what he needs to do in January.

Investment will surely be needed in the long-term, but in the all-important short-term trajectory, a temporary move might be the best option for everyone involved.

Barcelona will surely want to keep hold of one of their most sought-after youngsters, considering fellow centre-back Andreas Christensen’s contract is due to expire in the summer.

Micky van de Ven from Tottenham to Barcelona

Could an outgoing at the Nou Camp result in an incoming from the Premier League? Well, there is every possibility of that happening with one member of Tottenham’s starting centre-back pairing, Van de Ven, reportedly on Barcelona’s radar.

As discussed, Christensen’s pending departure, with no new deal currently on the negotiating table, could force manager Hansi Flick to turn to his bosses to request significant backing this month.

If the Netherlands international were to be prised away from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, van de Ven’s market value of £56.3million could be surpassed for him to make the move.

Even if Bernal and Christensen leave, the fact that van de Ven has missed only one Premier League game this season, playing 20 out of a possible 21, makes it seem unlikely.

According to Footballblog’s deep dive into the most undervalued FPL Players ranked by points-per-million, Tottenham’s deputy captain certainly isn’t shy about translating his on-the-pitch performances into the world of fantasy football. It’s likely only a few individuals know if Flick plays Fantasy Premier League, but you never know, the Barcelona manager might already have van de Ven in his squad.

Leon Bailey to Girona from Aston Villa

Despite currently being on a season-long loan at Roma from Villa, Bailey is still on Girona’s watch, with potentially a recall to Villa Park and then a trip to Spain potentially the cards. As touched on, the Blanquivermells have flooded goals this season, and the story isn’t much different at the opposite end of the pitch.

Míchel’s men have scored the joint fifth-lowest amount of goals in LaLiga this season, with only Athletic Bilbao, Rayo Vallecano, Alavés, and bottom-of-the-table Oviedo firing in fewer.

However, time will only tell if Bailey can inspire Girona to avoid playing their football in LaLiga 2 for the first time in five years.

What might cause a stumbling block from that prospectively happening is that the Jamaican hasn’t yet gotten his name on the scoresheet for Roma in 10 appearances across all competitions.

It’s certainly a similar story for the Blanquivermells’ forward department, with current top-scorer Vladyslav Vanat (five), Viktor Tsyhankov (four), and Azzedine Ounahi & Cristhian Stuani (three), scoring 15 of those 18 goals.

That’s not to say that Bailey, who, to be fair to him, has significantly suffered from injuries throughout his career, cannot rediscover his form from one particular season.

It was as recently as the 2023/24 campaign that Bailey contributed 19 attacking returns (G10, A9) that played a pivotal part in Unai Emery’s side qualifying for the Champions League.

It’s not the first time the wing wizard has expertly performed in front of goal, with nine goals and the same number of assists for Leverkusen back in 2020/21.