Details of a stunning swap deal proposed by Chelsea to Barcelona have emerged, with the Catalan giants responding immediately.
After qualifying for next season's Champions League and winning the Conference League days apart, Chelsea have already been busy with securing reinforcements for next season.
Chelsea saw off competition from a number of Premier League clubs to sign Liam Delap from Ipswich for a fee of £30 million, with the former Manchester City striker signing a six-year deal.
The Blues have also brought in youngster Dario Essugo from Sporting CP for a reported £18.5 million in a deal which was announced last week.
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The two-time Champions League winners are expected to busy in the market and there's also been word that they went to Barcelona with an offer for midfielder Fermin Lopez.
Barcelona instantly reject Chelsea's swap deal proposal
According to Mundo Deportivo, Chelsea suggested the idea of trading Lopez for Christopher Nkunku, who has found himself out of favour and is poised to move on this summer.
Barca have been linked with the Frenchman but the report states that the approach was "flatly rejected" as Hansi Flick, Joan Laporta and other officials still see Lopez as an important part of his squad.
Other clubs have expressed an interest in the Euro 2024 winner, who is not always a starting player for Barcelona but competes with Dani Olmo and Gavi and contributed with eight goals and 10 assists in 46 games in all competitions.
Lopez, who signed a contract until 2029 in October and scored in the title-clincher against Espanyol, recently confirmed his intention to stay with the La Liga champions.
"I'm not thinking about leaving or anything like that," Lopez said in an interview with Tu Diras de RAC1.
“I’m very happy at Barca. It was my dream and I obviously want to stay."
Elsewhere, Chelsea reportedly want Lopez's Spain colleague Nico Williams.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Williams is a priority for both Chelsea and Arsenal and they are prepared to fork out big money to seal the deal for the Athletic Club star.
Both Lopez and Williams are focused on lifting more silverware with Spain as they play the Nations League final against Portugal on Sunday.
Topics: Chelsea, Barcelona, FC Barcelona
Josh Lawless