Manchester United will go toe-to-toe with Chelsea for Barcelona midfielder Fermin Lopez when the summer transfer window opens, according to reports.
Earlier this month The Peoples Person covered claims that the 21-year-old turned down a winter move to Old Trafford, but it seems that the Red Devils are preparing to go in hard for the player again at the end of the season.
Reports in Spain, via F365, state that United are “serious about signing” the Spaniard, who is said to be seen as a potential replacement for Bruno Fernandes.
The club are thought to be willing to pay £42m for Lopez, who “may choose to pack his bags if Flick does not guarantee him the continuity and prominence he needs to exploit his full potential.”
But Chelsea are also keen on snapping him up, and are reportedly “willing to offer him a contract with double the salary he currently has at Barca, as well as a more prominent role in the team.”
Lopez has featured 25 times for Barcelona in all competitions this season, scoring five goals and making the same number of assists.
Sixteen of those appearances were from the bench, and the report notes that while the player is seen as “indispensable” to the Liga giants, manager Hansi Flick “only intends to continue giving him minutes as a substitute, or in games without much significance.”
It is felt that this would give Ruben Amorim encouragement in his pursuit of the player, and the report notes that he “wants to take advantage” of Lopez being on the periphery to “convince him to leave Camp Nou.”
That is likely to be easier said than done, with the youngster “only thinking about Barca,” but if playing time really is a concern he could reasonably expect to be a major figure at Old Trafford next season.
Amorim is keen to overhaul his squad, and the report claims that key figures at United are “sure” that Lopez “is ready to be one of the key players in the squad.”
Negotiations would likely be excruciating, given that he signed a new contract at the Catalan club in October last year, with a release clause believed to be set at €500m.
Nevertheless, United supposedly “want to start talks with Joan Laporta and Deco to reach an agreement.”
United fans are all too familiar with drawn-out summer sagas involving Barcelona midfielders, with the likes of Thiago Alcantara, Cesc Fabregas and Frenkie de Jong all dominating back pages before ultimately not making the move.
Lopez is an exciting player, but United must move quickly to secure priority targets in the summer to deliver Amorim the players he needs to make the club competitive again.
Featured image David Ramos via Getty Images
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Joe Ponting
Joe has spent more than half his life writing about football and all of it following United. As a child he told a doctor his name was ‘Paul Scholes’, but could never pick a pass like him no matter how much he tried.
