Chelsea make an official bid to sign Fermin Lopez despite firm resistance from FC Barcelona

Chelsea are pushing to sign Fermin Lopez after getting snubbed by Xavi Simons. (Image credits - Heute, License Details)

Chelsea have finally sent an official bid to FC Barcelona in an attempt to sign Fermin Lopez before the deadline day, after they failed to sign Xavi Simons. As reported by Mundo Deportivo, the Blues' offer stands at €40 million. However, despite the strong interest, the 22-year-old midfielder remains firm on staying at Barcelona, and the Catalan giants are reported to believe the same.

Barça's sporting director, Deco, had made it clear that they do not intend to let go of Fermin Lopez unless an extraordinary offer lands at their table, as Hansi Flick considers the Spaniard an integral part of his project and does not want to sacrifice him just for the sake of financial profit.

As a result, the World Champions have offered much higher wages in their contract proposal to try and lure Lopez in. With the deadline day approaching, Chelsea have given Barcelona and Fermin a "24-hour ultimatum" to make a decision and give them a clear answer.

Enzo Maresca and co. are desperate to sign a midfielder after being snubbed by Xavi Simons, who was tipped to be joining them since the beginning of the summer, made a surprising U-turn and instead joined rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

Chelsea almost complete their entire transfer plan for the summer as they agree a deal to sign the Brighton prodigy 

Amidst their attempts to sign Fermin Lopez from Barcelona, Chelsea have reached an agreement to sign Facundo Buonanotte on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion, as confirmed by Fabrizio Romano just a few hours ago.

Having already secured Alejandro Garnacho's permanent move from Manchester United yesterday, Buonanotte's signing will pretty much complete Enzo Maresca and co.'s entire transfer plan for the summer, with only a prolific midfielder left to sign.

However, even if Chelsea fail to sign Fermin Lopez, Buonanotte's signing has already provided them with a talented option in the midfield, who has the potential to become a top talent if given the right guidance and opportunities.

He is of a similar profile to Xavi Simons, possessing the ability to operate as a number ten while also drifting into the wing and creating space for his fellow attackers. However, the only issue that the 20-year-old might potentially face is limited game time, as Chelsea's midfield looks stacked and will get even more so if Fermin Lopez signs for them.