Barcelona boss ‘convinced’ of Fermín López stay amid Chelsea interest
Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick has said he is “convinced” Fermín López will stay at the club but stopped short of guaranteeing the midfielder will not leave before the transfer window closes on Monday.
ESPN reported on Tuesday that Fermín is drawing interest from the Premier League, with Chelsea among the clubs keen on signing the Spain international.
“At the moment he is here,” Flick told a news conference on Saturday when asked about the situation surrounding Fermín’s future.
“I spoke with him. I’m convinced that he will stay, but at the end I don’t know what happens. We have to wait. I am really happy when the market is closed.
“I told him my opinion, but it’s between him and me. Sometimes players have other thoughts. Around the players are also a lot of people, who know maybe more than we know.
“It’s a big business. I have to focus on my team and I am really happy Fermín plays for Barça. He’s a really important player for us. He showed that last season. His style is different to other players. He can help us a lot.”
Fermín, 22, has netted 19 goals in 89 appearances since breaking into Barcelona’s first team under previous coach Xavi Hernández in 2023.
However, he has often featured as a substitute due to fierce competition in midfield at Barça, with Dani Olmo, Pedri, Gavi, Frenkie de Jong, Marc Casadó and Marc Bernal all vying for places with Fermín. Raphinha has also been used centrally ahead of him this season.
Sources told ESPN that Barça are also open to significant offers for Fermín given their need to satisfy LaLiga’s financial rules, but Flick hopes the player’s love for Barça, who he joined as a 13-year-old, will persuade him to stay.
“I am focused on the team, I don’t care about financial things or the financial situation,” Flick added. “My job is to focus on the team. Everyone knows I would love to keep every player here in Barça.
“Fermín is a player who is very aggressive on the pitch, against the ball but also with the ball. He’s good sprinting between the last lines and helps us a lot to create spaces.
“But he’s also a really great player to score goals, give the last pass, create chances. You can see that he lives [for] Barça. He loves Barça. I think, not to say too much, in his heart he is Barça.”
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Barça are in LaLiga action on Sunday when they travel to Rayo Vallecano looking to make it three wins from three at the start of the season.
Fermín is expected to be part of the squad after training with his teammates on Saturday, but Gavi has been ruled out with a knee problem which has also forced him to pull out of the Spain squad for the upcoming international break.
“We hope Gavi will be back for Valencia after the break,” Flick said. “We have to see. He’s already much better today than yesterday. Now he has to be focused, have the discipline to work on these things, but we’re looking positive.”