Chelsea's Fermin Lopez transfer stance revealed amid Xavi Simons talks

Chelsea hold a keen interest in Barcelona attacker Fermin Lopez, football.london understands, and are considering making a move for the 22-year-old.

At the time of writing, sources have confirmed the Blues are indeed exploring the possibility of a move for the Barca man, though there are no talks between the two clubs. Chelsea have been in touch with Lopez's entourage at this very early stage.

Lopez signed for Barcelona in 2016 from Real Betis and then spent the next seven years coming through the Catalan club's famous academy, La Masia. He then made his first team debut for Barca in 2023 and was used sporadically up until last season, where he became an important player.

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In the 2024/25 season, Lopez made 46 appearances in all competitions for Barca under Hansi Flick, and scored eight goals in that time. News of Chelsea registering an interesting in Lopez is particularly interesting given what has turned out to be a bit of a transfer saga with Xavi Simons.

Chelsea have been in talks with RB Leipzig for over a month now to bring Simons to the club, but negotiations have proven complicated with the west Londoners looking to offload Christopher Nkunku before pushing forward in negotiations. Lopez, who plays in a similar position to Simons, is the latest name on the Blues' radar as they explore their options.

football.london was told over the weekend that there remains a confidence that Simons will become a Chelsea player before next Monday's 7pm transfer deadline. Chelsea want to add at least two more players before the window closes, with talks over a move for Alejandro Garnacho continuing in the background as well.

Negotiations between Chelsea and Manchester United were described as 'advanced' last week for the 21-year-old winger, who has his heart set on a move to Stamford Bridge. Bayern Munich approached Garnacho's camp recently but the Argentine told them he prefers a switch to Chelsea instead.