"My priority has always been to stay at Barca"

Despite the rumours, Fermin Lopez remains a Barcelona player. A transfer to Chelsea failed to materialise despite the Blues' attempts, but neither the club nor the player, as he himself admitted to 'Mundo Deportivo', wanted to part ways.

Speaking from the Spanish national team's training camp ahead of their matches against Bulgaria and Turkey, the 22-year-old midfielder was forthright about his options: "My priority has always been to stay at Barca."

"I arrived at 12 years old. It was my dream to be here, to reach the first team. It's always flattering to have interest from other clubs, but the truth is that I always had the idea of staying at Barca and succeeding here," he added.

Fermin also expressed his gratitude to the Barca fans, who were keen for him to stay: "I have felt the love of the 'cules'. But not only this week, since I arrived in the first team, I have felt very loved. I am grateful that they see me as an important player for Barca."

Finally, he spoke about Hansi Flick's role in rejecting Chelsea's advances: "He has been very important because I have always fought to be here, to play at Barca. My idea is to continue here. You know that in football you never know, and some things do not depend on you, but my priority has always been to stay at Barca."