Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick says he does not want to have players with “egos” in his squad after being asked about the future of Chelsea target Fermin Lopez.

The Blues are believed to have tabled a €40m (£35m) bid for the Spanish international, and when asked directly about Lopez following Barca’s draw against Rayo Vallecano, Flick replied:

“Today we have to talk about the team, not the players. The most important thing for me is that when the transfer window closes, everyone is 100 percent committed. It’s important not to have egos; that kills the chances of success.”

After losing out on Xavi Simons to Tottenham, Lopez had been identified as an alternative by the recruitment team.

The Barcelona star has a high price tag

It is believed that the La Liga champions would want around €90m (£78m) for the 22-year-old, which is substantially more than Chelsea are willing to pay.

There are suggestions that Lopez would be open to a switch to Stamford Bridge, but you do feel that a transfer is rather unlikely, considering the gap between the two clubs’ valuations.

Chelsea have already signed a fallback option

The club have been looking at potential backups for Cole Palmer following Christopher Nkunku’s departure to AC Milan at the weekend.

Lopez and Simons were clearly the top candidates but the arrival of Facundo Buonanotte from Brighton on loan means the Argentinian international can provide cover in the No.10 position.

When he was loaned to Leicester City last season, the 20-year-old played both as an attacking midfielder and on the right wing, making 35 appearances in total for the Foxes, scoring 6 goals and providing 3 assists.

While there is no option to buy Buonanotte, they will have first refusal if other teams make bids for him in the future.

Read more about the Chelsea First Team Squad for 2025/26 here