Chelsea step up Fermin Lopez pursuit as new talks held with Barcelona starlet | OneFootball

Barcelona are set for a busy final few days of the summer transfer window, and the big story will resolve around Fermin Lopez. The midfielder is attracting strong interest from Chelsea, who appear determined to take him to Stamford Bridge before Monday’s deadline.

Earlier in the week, Chelsea tabled a €50m offer for Fermin, although that was thrown out by Barcelona, who are believed to be seeking at least €70m. That has not deterred the Premier League side, and they are prepared to come closer to the valuation set by the reigning La Liga champions.

In the meantime, Fermin has been deliberating over his future. It’s believed that his preference is to remain at Barcelona, but considering that Chelsea have offered him an increased squad role, he is thinking about a move.

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And in the last 24 hours, Chelsea have upped their efforts to convince Fermin of the move, as reported by Ben Jacobs. It’s noted that the Londoners, who won the Club World Cup earlier this summer, are continuing to “seriously explore a move”, with the Spain international having also spoken to head coach Enzo Maresca.

Fermin sale would solve Barcelona’s registration woes

Barcelona would much prefer Fermin to remain at the club, although his exit would significantly ease their well-documented financial woes. And as well as ensuring that the likes of Wojciech Szczesny, Gerard Martin and Roony Bardghji are registered with La Liga, it could also allow a late signing to be made.

Barcelona are well-covered at attacking midfield, with Flick having Dani Olmo, Gavi, Raphinha, Dro Fernandez and Guille Fernandez as options outside of Fermin. However, it would still be a big blow for the 22-year-old to leave, given the impact he has made since he broke into the first team under Xavi Hernandez two years ago.