Man Utd have £26m ‘offer’ rejected as Barcelona demand £43m ‘to close the deal’ for midfielder
Man Utd have had an offer for Barcelona midfielder Fermin Lopez rejected as the Catalan giants tell them how much they need to pay, according to reports.
The Red Devils are having an awful season with Man Utd moving back up above Everton into 14th after their 1-1 draw against Bournemouth.
Amorim’s side are already guaranteed to go down as the worst Man Utd side to have played in the Premier League era, even if they win their final four matches.
Red Devils boss Amorim, who replaced Erik ten Hag in November, has struggled to get his players to adapt to his playing style, philosophy and tactics since arriving.
And with results also failing to come, there could be building pressure on the Portuguese head coach heading into the summer, especially if he fails to guide them to Europa League glory.
Man Utd, who beat Athletic Bilbao 3-0 in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final, are unlikely to sack Amorim whatever happens before the summer as they plan on backing him in the summer transfer market.
And the Portuguese head coach is looking to improve his midfield and now reports in Spain have claimed that Man Utd have made a €30m (£26m) ‘offer’ to sign Barcelona’s Fermin.
Despite interest from several clubs around Europe, it is understood that Man Utd are ‘the first to make a move’ but ‘the Blaugrana leadership’s response has been emphatic: no talks for less than €50m (£43m) are contemplated.’
Man Utd ’emissaries’ took ‘advantage of the trip to Spain’ to face Athletic Bilbao and ‘proposed a meeting to discuss the details’ of a potential deal for Fermin – but the Catalan giants ‘told them that if the bid didn’t start above 50 million euros, there was no need to travel to Barcelona’.
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Despite Barcelona’s ‘fragile financial situation’, Joan Laporta is staying strong on his asking price with Man Utd now knowing what it will take to ‘close the deal’.
The report adds:
‘Fermin, who emerged through the Barca youth system and gained experience on loan at Linares, has made it clear that his priority is to stay at the Camp Nou.
‘He recently renewed his contract until 2029 and his only intention is to see out his contract. His attitude, commitment, and performance have resonated with both the coaching staff and the fans.
‘But the club is no stranger to the financial situation and knows that any significant income will be key to complying with the financial fair play requirements imposed by LaLiga.’
