Barcelona midfielder Fermin Lopez takes big decision regarding possible move to Chelsea as Barcelona receive €40 million bid

Barcelona attacking midfielder Fermin Lopez has denied joining Chelsea after their €40 million bid to seal his services this season, Lopez was being courted by the Blues over the past couple of weeks despite Barca's wish to keep him.

Despite being one of the talented midfielders, Fermin has got only limited playing time at Barcelona. Other midfielders like Pedri, Gavi and Dani Olmo give strong competition to the Spanish player. The lack of consistent playing minutes led Fermin to consider a move away from Barca, with Chelsea coming in as a lucrative option. Chelsea submitted a formal bid to sign him this summer.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Fermin Lopez has opted to decline Chelsea's offer this summer. The Spanish has decided to stay at Barcelona and fight for more playing time by proving himself, despite Chelsea's tempting offer. Moreover, Barcelona are not keen on letting him go, especially for this price.

The report further says that coach Hansi Flick is very keen on keeping Fermin Lopez despite his lack of playing time. Barcelona will not hear offers unless Fermin personally requests to leave the side. On the top of that, they will demand a much higher price of a reported €90 million for the player. The Spanish giants did not respond to Chelsea's offer as they considered it much lower than their expectations.

Hansi Flick addresses Fermin Lopez's situation amid Chelsea interest

In the pre-match press conference ahead of their last LaLiga game against Rayo Vallecano, Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick addressed Fermin Lopez's situation at the club. Flick was convinced that the midfielder would stay and said:

"He’s here for now. I’ve spoken to him, and I think he’ll stay. I’ll be very happy when the transfer window closes. I told him my opinion, but I’m keeping it to myself. There are people who know more about what’s going on. It’s a business, but I’m focused on my team."

He added:

"He’s shown many times how important he is to us. He can help us a lot. “At the beginning of the week, he was different than now. I see him as more focused. I think he’s in a good position."

Fermin Lopes has appeared in two Barca games so far in LaLiga. He started against Mallorca and came off the bench against Rayo Vallecano. It remains to be seen if he gets more minutes in the future games.