Chelsea are ‘determined’ to fend off interest from Tottenham and Manchester United to complete a swoop to sign Barcelona star Fermin Lopez, according to CaughtOffside.
Fermin has been one of the hottest topics in the last week of the transfer window, with Chelsea initially exploring a move to sign him after pulling the plug on Xavi Simons.
Following the injury to Liam Delap, the Blues have now accelerated efforts to sign him, reportedly placing a £34m bid on Saturday.
With the club still keen on adding the centre-forward, CaughtOffside claims that other Premier League clubs, including Man Utd and Tottenham, are now set to battle with the Blues in the race for the Spain international.
Chelsea face further competition as the report suggests that Newcastle and Bayern Munich are also keeping table on the 22-year-old’s situation.
However, despite interest from other clubs, CaughtOffside notes that Chelsea remain ‘determined’ to complete a swoop to sign Fermin before the transfer deadline, after seeing their first offer fall below Barcelona’s demands.
Chelsea will now need to follow up their opening offer with an improved bid, as the report adds that Barcelona have placed a ‘non-transferable’ stance on the versatile forward unless an offer worth at least £60m is submitted.
Chelsea keen on another forward
The Blues welcomed Alejandro Garnacho as their newest addition to the attack, having completed a permanent transfer from Manchester United on Saturday.
The Argentine is expected to slug it out with Jamie Bynoe-Gittens for a starting spot at left-wing, meaning Enzo Maresca remains short of centre-forward options.
Youngster Tyrique George was brought in for the injured Delap on Saturday but couldn’t make much impact and was eventually withdrawn.
In a dramatic turn of events, Nicholas Jackson’s proposed loan move to Bayern has been revoked, according to reports; however, the Senegalese player has remained adamant about completing the move.
Therefore, a late move for Fermin, who can operate as an attacking midfielder and a centre-forward, would be a significant boost to Maresca’s squad as they aim for success in domestic and European competitions.
With Barcelona demanding a fee of at least £60m, it’ll be interesting to see if the Blues will improve their offer or whether the likes of Man Utd and Tottenham will formalise their interest with competing bids.