A former Barcelona board member has confirmed Chelsea failed with a concrete bid to sign Fermin Lopez last summer.
Chelsea identified Lopez as one of their top transfer targets and wanted to lure the 22-year-old Spain international to Stamford Bridge.
Former Barcelona board member Joan Soler says the Blues made a “very important” offer for Lopez and has revealed why the big-money move never materialised.
Lopez has since signed a contract extension until 2031, ending Chelsea’s interest.
“There was a very important offer for Fermín from Chelsea this summer,” said Soler. “But the player didn’t want to leave, and we didn’t want to sell.
“Barca shouldn’t be a selling club, and we have to retain our homegrown players. We also had a €250m offer to sell Lamine [Yamal] in recent years. It came through agents, and that deal also fell through.”
Lopez has reached double figures for goals and assists this season.
He scored his 11th goal of the season in all competitions as Barcelona beat Levante 3-0 on Sunday to move above Real Madrid and the top of the table in La Liga.
By giving him a new contact, Barcelona wanted to secure his future before the club hold presidential elections in March.
Head coach Hansi Flick also did not want a repeat of last summer, when Fermín's future was a constant source of speculation.
After missing out on Lopez, Cheslea instead moved to sign Alejandro Garnacho in a £40million deal from Manchester United.
