By OkayGoal
Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain are both weighing up a January move for Barcelona’s Fermin Lopez, with a bid of around £68m (€80m) being talked about for the Spain international.
The 23-year-old attacking midfielder has long had admirers in west London and Paris, and according to Sports Mole, citing a CaughtOffside report, both clubs could make their approach when the winter window opens.
Arsenal and Manchester United have also reportedly enquired about him. Barcelona, though, have him tied down until June 2031, and the player himself has never sounded like someone looking for the exit.
Are Chelsea and PSG ready to bid for Fermin Lopez?
CaughtOffside’s information comes from an agents’ source, who claims PSG are preparing a serious offer worth around €80m (£68m). Chelsea are said to be considering a sizeable bid of their own.
What Fermin Lopez thinks of all this is unknown for now. The report describes both clubs as long-standing suitors rather than sides who have only just discovered him.
For the Blues, it is another midfield name on a busy list. This week they have also been linked with a 20-year-old Monaco striker that PSG want too, so the two clubs keep bumping into each other in the market.
Fermin Lopez’s numbers and the Dani Olmo problem
The form is not the issue. Fermin Lopez has five goals and four assists in 12 appearances this season, eight of them as a starter, which is a healthy return for a player who does not always begin games.
That last detail is the key one. Under Hansi Flick he is competing with Dani Olmo for the attacking midfield role at Barcelona, and a player in his early twenties with those numbers will want more than eight starts from 12 outings.
Even so, nobody should mistake the competition for places as unhappiness. Barcelona is Fermin Lopez’s boyhood club, and that bond is the biggest obstacle Chelsea and PSG face.
Fermin Lopez has already said ‘forever’ once
Manchester United found that out in March. When their interest surfaced, Fermin Lopez said he would stay at Barcelona “forever”, and that ended the conversation.
The complication is money. Barcelona want to keep him, but the club’s financial difficulties mean they could be forced to sell players in 2027, and a big enough offer could at least make them think about it.
For now, the report still describes a departure as unlikely, and with a contract running to 2031 Barcelona hold every card in any negotiation.
Is a Fermin Lopez move to Chelsea worth chasing?
I can see why Chelsea are tempted. A Spain international with nine goal involvements in 12 games, at 23, fits exactly the type of signing the Blues like to make, and their Carabao Cup exit on penalties at Anfield shows there is no shortage of games where a bit more creativity would help.
But £68m in January for a player who has publicly said he wants to stay at Barcelona forever feels like a long shot. Unless Barcelona’s finances force their hand, Fermin Lopez looks more likely to fight Olmo for his place than to fight Chelsea and PSG for his signature.