With less than a week remaining before the transfer window closes across Europe’s top leagues, clubs are making their final moves to complete sales and signings ahead of the 2025–26 season. Among those making a late push is a Premier League giant targeting Barcelona’s Fermin Lopez.
“Chelsea have made a move and submitted a firm offer to Barça’s offices to sign the Spanish international worth €50 million,” Sport reported Tuesday. The midfielder has been at the center of transfer rumors all summer, but this is the first concrete bid for his services.
The offer from England is financially tempting for Barcelona, though it poses a sporting dilemma. The Catalan side continues to face serious financial fair play issues under La Liga regulations—so much so that they’ve been unable to register some of their players for the current season.
During this transfer window, the Blaugrana have added just three players: goalkeeper Joan Garcia, right winger Roony Bardghji, and Marcus Rashford. However, Bardghji, along with Wojciech Szczesny and Gerard Martin, have yet to be registered in La Liga due to those financial constraints. A sale of Lopez could help unlock those registrations.
Hansi Flick, head coach of FC Barcelona.
Still, from a sporting perspective, losing him would be a major blow for head coach Hansi Flick. Last season, Fermin played 46 matches and scored 8 goals, serving as a key option even though he never secured a permanent spot in the starting lineup. His enormous potential makes him one of the club’s most promising long-term assets.
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The Fermin Lopez dilemma
With Chelsea’s offer on the table, Fermin now faces a decision that could shape his entire professional career. He came up through the ranks at Barcelona and has said on multiple occasions that his goal is to succeed at the club. But the heavy competition in his position—featuring stars like Pedri, Gavi, and Dani Olmo—means he doesn’t always get the minutes his talent warrants.
In fact, so far in the 2025–26 season, Lopez has played just 45 of the 180 minutes Barcelona have contested. He started the La Liga opener against Mallorca but was subbed off at halftime. Then, against Levante, he spent the entire match on the bench.
Should he accept a move to Chelsea, Fermin is expected to play a leading role in the team. Surrounded by other talented midfielders like Enzo Fernandez and Cole Palmer, Lopez could thrive in the Premier League wearing the Blues’ jersey.
How much have Chelsea spent this summer?
While the €50 million offer for Fermin Lopez may not rank among the most expensive Premier League transfers, it underlines Chelsea’s massive financial firepower. If the deal goes through, the Blues will have spent close to €330 million (approximately $380 million) on player acquisitions this season.
According to the specialist website Transfermarkt, Chelsea’s most expensive signing this summer was Joao Pedro, who arrived from Brighton for €63.7 million. He was joined by Jamie Gittens (€56 million), Jorrel Hato (€44.18 million), Liam Delap (€35.5 million), Estevao (€34 million), Dario Essugo (€22.27 million), Mamadou Sarr (€14 million), and Kendry Paez (€10 million).
