Barcelona are expecting a busy final part of the summer transfer window, and one issue they have to deal with involves Fermin Lopez. The midfielder is attracting strong interest from Chelsea, who are determined to secure his signature before the deadline on Monday.
Barcelona are open to selling Fermin, but only if the player asks to leave. At this stage, he hasn’t, but it can’t be ruled out that he decides that a move to Chelsea is best for his career.
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Earlier in the week, it was reported that Barcelona are willing to accept an offer of €70 million for Fermin, but this is no longer the case. Due to the short time between now and the end of the summer transfer window, the Catalan club have decided to increase the sale price to 90 million euros, according to MD.
Barcelona do not want to sell Fermin to Chelsea.
Barcelona have increased the sale price of Fermin to send a message: they do not want to sell. Hansi Flick values the 22-year-old player extremely highly, and the club is prepared to support its manager in this matter. However, it is also accepted that an offer that is deemed too good to refuse will be accepted, as it will allow them to sort out their registration issues – as well as opening the door for an overtime signing.
With this move, Barcelona have put the ball in the court of Chelsea and Fermin. If the player decides to leave, he will have to convince the Premier League club to present an offer that the reigning La Liga champions cannot refuse, which will be easier said than done.
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For now, it remains to be seen whether there will be significant movements in the next 24 to 48 hours. Barcelona will become increasingly closed as time goes on, so Chelsea will need to act quickly if they are to secure the signing of Fermin before the summer transfer window closes.