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Enzo Maresca spoke to Fermin Lopez on the phone twice about a possible move (Picture: Getty)
Barcelona star Fermin Lopez has spoken out about Chelsea’s transfer interest in him after a €40m bid was rejected in the summer window.
The attacking midfielder produced a superb performance in Barcelona’s 6-0 win over Valencia on Sunday, registering two goals in the La Liga clash.
Lopez celebrated one of the goals by kissing the Barcelona badge on his shirt and discussed his future at the Catalan club following the match.
‘I never had any doubts,’ the 22-year-old Spain international, who progressed through Barcelona’s academy, told Movistar.
‘There is always speculation, but I always wanted to stay here and I will fight to stay here for many years. The rest is all part of football.’
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Football transfers expert Fabrizio Romano says Chelsea knew the €40m bid would be rejected – and claims the Premier League club made the offer so that Lopez knew their interest was ‘concrete’ and not just a rumour.
‘Chelsea offered €40m to sign Fermin Lopez,’ Romano said on the Here We Go Podcast. ‘That money was never going to be enough to convince Barcelona.
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Chelsea view Fermin Lopez as a ‘perfect’ signing (Picture: Getty)
‘From what I’m told, Chelsea sent that bid, even though they knew that the deal was almost impossible, because they really wanted to make the player feel that their interest is concrete.
‘They really believe Fermin would be perfect for what they’re building at Chelsea.’
Lopez has conjured up 21 goals and 11 assists across 91 games for Barcelona to date.
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Chelsea may submit a fresh bid in the January transfer window (Picture: Getty)
There are rumours that Chelsea may try to sign Lopez again when the January transfer window opens.
Speaking earlier this month, Lopez admitted he was flattered to receive interest from Chelsea – but again insisted he had no intention of leaving Barcelona.
‘In the end, my priority has always been to be at Barca,’ Fermin told Mundo Deportivo when asked about Chelsea’s interest.
‘I arrived when I was 12, it was my dream to be here, to be able to reach the first team.
‘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.
‘There’s been a lot of speculation about all this, but I insist: my priority has always been to be at Barca, and I never doubted being here.
‘I’ve always felt I wanted to be here, to try to succeed, and to help the club.’
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca spoke to Lopez on the phone twice in an attempt to lure the Barcelona star to Stamford Bridge, according to reports in Spain.
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