Xabi Alonso wants to bring Barcelona leader Fermin Lopez to Chelsea
Chelsea head coach Xabi Alonso is pondering another sensational transfer to strengthen the team's midfield. The Spanish specialist personally intends to add 23-year-old talented Barcelona midfielder Fermin Lopez to his squad.
According to reports from the Spanish publication El Nacional, Alonso has closely monitored the player's playing style and found him to be the "most suitable piece" for his tactical scheme.
Why Fermin Lopez specifically? Alonso's tactical requirements
The manager of the Londoners sees all the essential qualities necessary for modern Premier League football in the 23-year-old Spanish midfielder:
High intensity: The player's relentless pressing and ability to perform a large volume of physical work;
Speed and mobility: The ability to move quickly on the pitch with and without the ball, breaking through opponent lines;
Skill in breaking into the penalty area: The potential to unexpectedly enter the opponent's penalty box in the second wave, deliver final shots, and finish attacks with goals.
Alonso believes these qualities will take Chelsea's central midfield to an entirely new level in their new project.
Barcelona's position: A price no less than 120 million euros
The Catalan giants have no intention of easily letting go of a player who is a product of their own academy. The Blaugrana management views Lopez as one of the crucial foundations of the future team:
Negotiation price: Barcelona will not even discuss any offer below 120 million euros;
Even higher valuation: The source adds that should the Londoners' interest intensify, the Catalans might set the transfer price even higher.
Reports about Chelsea's interest in Fermin Lopez had surfaced previously, but Xabi Alonso's personal initiative is expected to turn this transfer saga into one of the central themes of the transfer window. Whether the Londoners will agree to pay such a huge sum or seek alternative options remains to be seen as events unfold.
Comments 0
…