Chelsea don’t miss out on many transfer targets, but they did with Barcelona and Spain midfielder Fermin Lopez, according to reports, anyway.
The Blues have signed 50 first-team players since being taken over by American billionaire Todd Boehly in 2022.
It’s been relentless, with a large emphasis on recruiting young players with high sell-on potential.
With so many players joining the club, it’s been impossible for every player to receive sufficient game time.
This has resulted in a lot of big-money signings departing within a year or two of joining Chelsea.
Joao Felix, Christopher Nkunku, Noni Madueke and Lesley Ugochukwu are just four examples of players bought and sold for significant fees under Boehly’s watch.
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The length of contract and, of course, the salary Chelsea offer to their transfer targets mean they rarely fail to get their man.
However, Barcelona playmaker Fermin is a player they were interested in signing this summer, but could not get through the door.
Fabrizio Romano confirmed that Chelsea contacted Fermin’s representatives to “understand the situation” as the La Liga champions left the player’s future in his own hands.
Ultimately, the 22-year-old decided to stay in Catalonia, and he has revealed why.
Speaking to the Spanish press, Fermin confirmed that staying at Barcelona was always his “priority”, having joined his “dream” club at the age of 12.
“Well, in the end, my priority has always been to be at Barca. I arrived when I was 12; it was my dream to be here, to be able to reach the first team,” he said.
“It’s always a compliment when there’s interest from other clubs, but the truth is, I always had the idea of staying at Barca and being able to succeed here.”
Fermin also said he was grateful for the support he received from Barca boss Hansi Flick, while shutting down talk of a move to Stamford Bridge in the future.
“It’s been very important, because I’ve always fought to be here, to play for Barça,” the Spanish playmaker added.
“My goal is to stay here. You know, in football you never know and there are things that don’t depend on you, but my priority has always been to stay at Barça.”
Ballon d’Or contender and Barca team-mate, Lamine Yamal, also discussed the rumours linking Fermin to Chelsea.
The 18-year-old was having a good laugh and a joke about it all, noting that nobody should want to leave the club right now.
“He’s fine and happy as always,” he said. “At Barca, if someone leaves, it’s their decision. We’re a young, united group where there are no problems between us, and we enjoy the club we’re at.
“I don’t think anyone wants to leave. We jokingly asked him what was going on with England, but he told us he wanted to stay, that he was happy.”
The Barca canteen sounds like a riot.
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