FC Barcelona fears that its midfielder Fermin Lopez might be tempted to leave the club this summer amid interest from the likes of Premier League giant Chelsea and the Saudi Pro League according to SPORT, which cited anonymous sources.

Once seeming as though he was on borrowed time in Blaugrana when shipped out on loan to lowly Linares, Fermin pulled his socks up and impressed then-head coach Xavi Hernandez upon returning to Catalonia in the summer of 2023.

He was swiftly taken on a preseason tour of the United States where he scored a screamer in a Dallas friendly against Real Madrid, and hasn’t looked back since as a regular part of the furniture under Xavi’s successor Hansi Flick.

During a domestic treble-winning season where he scored eight times and provided 10 assists on his way to a maiden La Liga title, Fermin stood out in landmark wins against the likes of Bayern Munich in the Champions League and proved Flick’s best alternative when the German’s first choice CAM in Dani Olmo was frequently injured.

It’s no surprise that Chelsea came in with a $80 million (€70 million) for him this week according to El Chiringuito, as Mundo Deportivo further explained that the west London club suggested a part exchange deal that would have sent Fermin to the English capital and Christopher Nkunku in the opposite direction to its Catalan counterpart.

Barca rejected those suggestions but reportedly fears a “mess” unfolding with the 22-year-old.

The club itself has no intention of showing Fermin the door, which can’t be said about other players such as captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Ansu Fati and Pablo Torre.

However if Fermin gets his head turned by the riches of the Premier League and Saudi Arabia, and explicitly asks to leave for economic reasons or alternative sporting projects that allow him more protagonism, President Joan Laporta might not stand in his way.

Though nothing can be ruled out, Barca doesn’t think this will happen on the whole, with Fermin a much-loved presence in the locker room who “has the total confidence of Hansi Flick” and “feels the colours" of an outfit who he has played for since being a child scouted by La Masia.

At the same time, however, it is an awfully crowded competition when it comes to minutes in midfield at FC Barcelona. Fermin is fighting not just with Dani Olmo in CAM but also with close friend Gavi while Pedri, Frenkie de Jong, Marc Casado and now Marc Bernal look for prominence a little further back.