Chelsea has now begun meetings with representatives from Barcelona’s Star Fermin Lopez. This comes as a shock in the years of pursuits of RB Leipzig’s Zaby Simons.
Enzo Maresca’s side began negotiations to sign Simons a few weeks ago amid a desperate bid to offload the likes of Nicholas Jackson and Christopher Nukank to get the likes of them in their forces.
Negotiations for the Dutch have been ongoing ever since, and despite some reports of opposition, the full agreement with Leipzig has not yet been achieved.
Just five days remained until the transfer window closed on September 1st, and Maresca was thought to prioritize both Man United winger Alejandro Garnacho and the 22-year-old’s deal before the deadline.
However, there are reports that the emergence of Barca’s Lopez as a concrete target during this final stretch prompted many questions.
The Spaniard, who became a star under Hansiflik, was approached by Chelsea as Bruce reached out to his camp, according to multiple trusted sources.
The 22-year-old has made 46 appearances in all competitions, including a goal contribution to Bayern Munich in the Champions League, earning 10 assists, 10 goals and 10 assists.
His quality is barely denying his quality, as is the notion that he offers Maresca a serious playmaking upgrade that can play on the left.
Zabi Simons’ Chelsea plans after he begins his talk with Fermin Lopez
Some onlookers may assume that they have moved from Chelsea’s contact to Lopez after contacting his aides, but that’s clearly not the case.
According to journalist Simon Phillips, Chelsea is trying to put pressure on Leipzig to sell Simmons by getting closer to Lopez.
“Chelsea has been interested in Barcelona’s Fermin Lopez and was able to easily detour him this week as a transfer target,” Phillips said via his material.
“But for now, Xavi Simons is still the preferred target target for that position. Chelsea is still working to get that deal done. I’ve heard yesterday that Chelsea showed interest and that talking to Lopez’s agents would put pressure on Simmons’ deal.
“Chelsea have liked Lopez for a while, so that’s not a smokescreen. But for now, Simons can still change. If Simmons isn’t viable for some reason, he can push Lopez even further, but that’s not happening now.”
If Chelsea focused full attention on Lopez, the asking price is thought to be around £60 million.
