Report: Barcelona’s Two Conditions to Let Fermin Lopez Join Chelsea

Barcelona will only consider selling Fermín López to Chelsea if they receive at least €70 million (£60.5 million, $81.5 million) from the Club World Cup winners and if the player himself asks to make the move, reports in Spain claim.

López has been spuriously linked with a raft of Premier League transfers this summer, with talk of a move to Manchester United briefly floated before more concrete interest from Chelsea emerged in recent days.

A potential exit could anger manager Hansi Flick, however, even though the 22-year-old is not a fixture of the German’s starting XI. López has instead served as a very useful option off the bench and boasts a layer of versatility which allows him to cover a raft of positions. During this hodgepodge of minutes in various positions and competitions, López managed to rack up an impressive eight goals and 10 assists last term.

This potential has reportedly attracted interest from Chelsea. The Blues are thought to be in talks about a move and have now been told that Barcelona expect an offer of at least €70 million,, Mundo Deportivo claim.

Fermín López continues to be linked with a move away from Barcelona. | IMAGO/NurPhoto

The reigning La Liga giants have come to this valuation by observing the deals done by other Premier League clubs for players they deem to be of similar quality to López, who may still have to request a move to Stamford Bridge for a deal to be done. Bayern Munich splashed €70 million to whisk Luis Díaz away from Liverpool while Bryan Mbeumo (€75 million) and Matheus Cunha (€74.2 million) both cost Manchester United more than López’s proposed fee.

Barcelona are not thought to be actively encouraging a sale, although their financial difficulties ensure that they would not be in a position to turn down a hefty offer. Flick has a very different view.

“It will be a tough season. We need every player,” the former Bayern Munich manager bluntly warned the club in a pointed press conference over the weekend.

“I just can repeat what I said, I don’t want to lose any players now, because it will be a tough season. This quality from Fermín, he is doing really good, from last season, also when we start here, in the new season. I am happy with him and the players, and I want to keep everyone here, because we are happy with the options we have.”