Various embodiments of a device for mitral valve repair are described. In one example, the device can be used to place a pair of magnets between the flaps of the mitral valve. The magnets hold the flaps together near its center, with a result similar to that achieved through the Alfieri stitch. To place the magnets, the device is inserted through the apex of the heart in a transapical procedure and extended up into the left ventricle toward the mitral valve. When in position with the mitral valve, a pair of grasper fingers of the device are used to place the pair of magnets over the flaps, and the magnets are released. Once released, magnetic attraction between the magnets holds the flaps together. In other embodiments, the device can be used to place staples or sutures or other bonding elements over the flaps of the mitral valve.