Barcelona midfielder Fermin Lopez has insisted he was unaware of reported interest in his services from English clubs during the January transfer window.
It was recently claimed that Manchester United and Aston Villa were keen on signing Lopez but he turned down their advances.
It was stated that both clubs were prepared to part with around €70m to secure his services but the player didn’t want to leave Barcelona.
Now, Lopez has revealed that he didn’t know the likes of United and Villa were pursuing him.
The Spaniard told SPORT, “I wasn’t aware of the offers. I knew I wanted to be here, but it is comforting that the club didn’t want to listen to them and wanted me here, in the new project.”
He added, “I don’t know what to tell you. I’m a hard worker, I’m always available for the team and Xavi, [sporting director] Deco and now Hansi are helping me and giving me confidence to show my football. I’m very grateful to them.”
So far this season, Lopez has made 25 appearances across all competitions, scoring five goals and providing as many assists.
He has had to fight for his place at Camp Nou and now seems to be a key component of Flick’s plans at the club.
It has been suggested that United make another attempt at landing Lopez in the summer. Being a homegrown star, his sale would be recorded as “pure profit” on the Blaugrana’s books – a significant boost for a team under immense financial pressure.
With Christian Eriksen and Casemiro highly likely to depart Old Trafford at the end of the campaign, Lopez is a player to keep a close eye on.
The 21-year-old has four-and-a-half years remaining on his current contract at Barcelona.
Meanwhile, United are back in action on Sunday when they face Tottenham Hotspur in the fourth round of the FA Cup. Kick-off is at 16:30 GMT.
Featured image David Ramos via Getty Images
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Derick Kinoti
Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the game extensively for many years. He is a keen analyst with expertise in SEO and journalism standards. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!
