The £52m dream midfielder Chelsea could beat Man City to sign in January transfer window
Chelsea and Manchester City have both been linked with an attacking midfielder who they could make a move for in January.
In a transfer window which had a running theme of players signing for a team having seemingly been set to go elsewhere, perhaps the most sudden and unexpected gazumping of the lot was when Tottenham Hotspur managed to pinch Xavi Simons out from under Chelsea’s noses. It’s a move which has left Enzo Maresca with a bit of a headache.
With Christopher Nkunku gone and Simons now playing for a rival team, Maresca is left utterly reliant on Cole Palmer to hold down the number ten role – hardly ideal when there are matches in which Palmer might have played on the right, or when some degree of rotation is necessary to compete effectively in both the Premier League and the Champions League.
Regardless of Palmer’s form, Chelsea have a bit a depth problem that could be damaging in the long run, and that may necessitate a January signing to plug the gap. At least one summer transfer target could still be on the menu when the transfer window opens in the form of Fermin López – but would the Barcelona midfielder be the answer, and can they get there ahead of Manchester City?
Why Chelsea wanted Fermin López – and why he could make a big difference
Chelsea were heavily linked with a bid for Barcelona’s López in the closing weeks of the transfer window, and while a deal never came together it was reported by several media outlets that a bid of around €60m (£52m) was considered.
In the end, López stayed in Spain and Chelsea must press on without many alternatives to Palmer, especially given that João Pedro will be stuck playing striker for the duration of Liam Delap’s injury. The Blues have enjoyed an encouraging start to the new campaign, but Maresca’s options are already wearing a little thin.
Should the situation look any worse come January, it would be no surprise to see them make another attempt to sign López over the winter – and the 22-year-old may well offer the blend of creativity and goal threat that they need should Palmer either be struck down by injury or simply need a break.
READ MORE: The Wonderkid Power Rankings - the Top 10 best young players in the Premier League right now
López has already scored 14 La Liga goals for Barcelona despite starting just 26 matches, and has demonstrated an exceptional knack for peeling away from defenders and into space in dangerous areas. He is a good finisher, rather than a great one, but has the nous to put himself into plenty of positions from which he can score.
He’s also grown rapidly as a creative force. In his breakthrough season in 2023/24, he neither set a league goal up nor generated an especially high volume of shooting opportunities for his team-mates, but last season he created over 50% more chances for his colleagues and was responsible for five league assists. The improvement in his passing and ability to anticipate the movement of those around him has been rather remarkable.
In terms of his position, López is a number ten by trade but is comfortable attacking the flanks and channels, offering a degree of versatility in the way that he attacks defences which isn’t so far from Palmer’s own. He’s unlikely to become quite such a regular source of goals as he generally operates in slightly deeper positions, but as an alternative who can rotate in and out and potentially play wide of Palmer if required, it’s hard to argue that Chelsea could do all that much better.
He’s also considerably more energetic out of possession than a player like Simons – in short, should Chelsea feel the need for another attacking midfielder, López would make a fine signing. But they may not be alone in thinking as much…
Will Chelsea sign López – or will Manchester City get there first?
At least one report currently claims that Manchester City were also looking at López this summer – TeamTalk claim that Pep Guardiola’s side “held significant interest” in the young Spaniard.
Whether that’s true or not is unclear. Guardiola did, after all, spend much of the summer complaining that he had too many players to worry about and that he wanted a smaller squad, and it seems unlikely that a bid for López was considered after the arrivals of Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki – but given the combination of talent and the potential to slot into the role of the ageing Bernardo Silva in the long run, it may have been discussed at some stage.
The TeamTalk report claims that City enquired as to López’s availability but suggests that a formal offer was never made. It may be that Barcelona decided that López simply wasn’t for sale, although their tenuous financial position means that they are generally amenable to striking a deal when they can. Either way, there is some chance that if Chelsea make a move, then City will consider one as well should.
The biggest barrier to a deal, however, appears to be López himself. He has made it clear in a number of comments to the press that he wants to stay at the Camp Nou and that he didn’t want to be the latest victim of Barcelona’s questionable finances – it’s eminently plausible that Chelsea’s enquiries went nowhere due to the player’s desire to stay put. Given that he is contracted until 2029, there is no meaningful way to pry him out unless Barcelona attempt to force him to move on.
As such, a January deal may be unlikely unless López struggles or finds himself pushed down the pecking order – although given that he has played just 74 minutes of Barcelona’s two league games so far this season, that may not be such an implausible scenario.
Either way, don’t be surprised if López is linked to Premier League clubs again in the January transfer window – he has the talent to meet the needs of any team that’s desperate for a number ten. Chelsea could be just that team.