Chelsea table new bid for Barca midfielder Fermin Lopez | OneFootball

Chelsea are stepping up their interest in Barcelona midfielder Fermin Lopez.

According to Spanish news outlet SPORT, the Blues have submitted a new offer for the attacking midfielder as they look to complete a deal before Monday’s deadline.

Chelsea recently submitted an initial proposal worth €58 million (£50m) for the exciting attacker.

Barca were considering the offer even though they view Lopez as a key part of their squad.

Chelsea have reportedly stoked the fire by increasing their bid to €65m (£56m).

An immediate injection of funds would be hard for the Blaugranas to ignore, as it would help them register some of their new signings.

Chelsea’s interest in Lopez came out of the blue, but they’re keen to bring him to Stamford Bridge this summer.

Manager Enzo Maresca believes that Lopez fits into his tactical ideas, and the club has assured him that he would be given a central role from day one.

Barca sporting director Deco and manager Hansi Flick both value Lopez highly.

Allowing him to leave would be a considerable setback, even if the cash involved would significantly ease their financial troubles.

After coming through the youth set-up, any move for Lopez will count as pure profit, which would help the La Liga champions balance their books.

Lopez has always been clear about his desire to fight for his place at Barca.

But he has only played 45 minutes of first-team football this season and was an unused substitute in Barca’s most recent 3-2 win over Levante.

Chelsea’s proposal would also more than double his current wages in Catalonia.

He currently takes home around €6m (£5.1m) at Barca, but a move to Chelsea would increase his salary up to around €15m (£13m) per year.