Barcelona reject Man Utd opening offer for star who wanted to leave Camp Nou last summer
Fermin-Lopez-Barcelona
Barcelona have rejected Manchester United’s opening offer for Fermin Lopez, with the club not interested in selling the youngster this summer.
It’s no secret that the Red Devils are looking to upgrade their offensive options as plenty of names have been linked with Old Trafford of late.
As confirmed by TEAMtalk, PSG’s Xavi Simons is a player of interest, although a loan move seems more feasible than a permanent transfer at this stage.
Another option being considered by Man Utd is Lopez, although the Red Devils have been unsuccessful in their first attempt to sign him.
According to Sport, Man Utd have offered €30m (£25m) for the Spanish playmaker, but the bid has been swiftly rejected by Barcelona.
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The Spanish side doesn’t want to lose the 21-year-old attacking midfielder after he enjoyed a breakthrough campaign in La Liga last season.
In total, he made 31 league appearances last season with 14 of those games being starts. He managed to score eight goals in that time and ended the 2023/24 season in fantastic form.
While Barcelona still have financial issues to deal with and will need to sell before they buy this summer, the club isn’t ready to cash in on Lopez at this stage.
Lopez wanted to leave last summer
The 21-year-old spent the 2022/23 season on loan with Linares Deportivo who compete in the third tier of Spanish football.
After impressing in the third tier, Lopez had offers to join teams in the Spanish second division last summer and he was keen to make the move at the time.
However, Xavi convinced the youngster that he still had a future at Barcelona and in the end, it was for the best that he stuck around.
“If I tell the truth, I returned from Linares and had many offers from the Second Division. I wanted to leave Barca,” he told Diario Sport.
“It was an opportunity, to take another step in my career, but the club convinced me by telling me that I would do a week of training with the first team. From there, Xavi trusted me and everything went smoothly.
“The time in Linares at the beginning was very hard because I received a reality check. Leaving Barça, its facilities, the facilities you have… nothing is the same,” he added.
“In Linares I became a man, they helped me a lot from the club, my teammates, the staff and if I am here, it is thanks to them and I told them so. I am very grateful because I learned a lot and I was happy to go there.”
It does make sense that Man Utd are looking to strengthen their midfield options, especially with Christian Eriksen looking increasingly likely to leave this summer.
The Danish midfielder has reportedly already told his friends that he plans to quit the club this summer which will no doubt push Man Utd to search the market for his replacement.