Chelsea must pay $81 MILLION to sign Barcelona wonderkid

Tom Weber

Updated: 28 Aug 2025 04:04 CDT
4 min read

Chelsea have been quoted a $81 million asking price for Fermin Lopez by Barcelona, according to Spanish media.

The Premier League side hold a long-standing interest in the 22-year-old Spain midfielder, and links have ramped up again this week. Initial reports from Spain of a $58 million bid have been downplayed, but Chelsea's interest is genuine.

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David Ornstein of The Athletic reported on Tuesday that the Stamford Bridge club had begun 'evaluating the possibility' of a move for Fermin, who has struggled to nail down a starting spot under Hansi Flick.

Fabrizio Romano insisted that no discussions over a transfer were taking place before later conceding that Chelsea had indeed made contact with the player's entourage to gauge the feasibility of a deal.

There have so far been no discussions between the two clubs, and Sky Sports reports that Chelsea will not make a serious move for Fermin unless they receive encouragement from Barcelona or the player that there is a deal to be done.

Barcelona want $81m for Fermin

Flick has insisted that he wants to keep Fermin, while the 22-year-old himself recently stated that he has no intention of leaving. So far, there are no suggestions that this stance has in any way changed, despite claims that Fermin is considering a move to Stamford Bridge.

However, Barcelona's financial issues are well-documented, and the Blaugrana have again struggled to register players this summer, so there may yet be an opportunity to do business at the right price.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona will only consider selling Fermin if they receive an offer of at least $81m. The report states that this price tag was agreed upon during discussions between club bosses on Tuesday in the wake of the reports on Chelsea's interest.

Fermin has likely emerged as a target for Chelsea as a contingency option should they fail to secure Xavi Simons. Discussions with RB Leipzig have been difficult, and Tottenham are now said to have entered the race for him as well.

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