Chelsea remain keen on signing Fermín López, the FC Barcelona midfielder, though his potential move to Stamford Bridge hinges directly on the sales the London club can finalize in the closing days of the market. UEFA’s financial fair play restrictions are forcing the Blues to balance their books before making any new additions.

Financial fair play limits Chelsea’s moves

In July, UEFA fined Chelsea €31 million for breaching financial fair play rules and warned that repeated violations could bring further penalties of up to €60 million, as well as a ban on registering players for European competitions.

So far, Enzo Maresca’s side have spent around €280 million on transfers, with key arrivals such as Joao Pedro, Jamie Gittens, Jorrel Hato, and Liam Delap. Outgoings like Renato Veiga to Villarreal and Carney Chukwuemeka to Borussia Dortmund have brought in significant income, but not enough to balance the accounts.

With the Champions League ahead, the club need a neutral or positive balance at the close of the window to avoid sanctions—turning the move for Fermín into a financial puzzle.

Fermín among Chelsea’s top targets

Chelsea’s interest in Fermín López comes alongside pursuits of players like Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United) and Xavi Simons (RB Leipzig). However, landing the Barcelona midfielder is seen as the most complex deal, largely due to the Catalan club’s reluctance to lose one of their brightest young talents—despite their own registration struggles in LaLiga.

The Spanish midfielder, a key figure in Barça’s system, has caught attention in England for his energy and versatility in midfield. Yet, his arrival in London depends on Chelsea moving on several players who are out of Maresca’s plans, including Nico Jackson, Christopher Nkunku, Raheem Sterling, Ben Chilwell, and Axel Disasi, all currently training apart from the main group while awaiting resolutions.

Race against time at Stamford Bridge

The transfer window closes on Sunday, and the Blues are working at full speed to free up salary space and generate funds for new signings. If they fail to complete outgoing deals, the move for Fermín López will stall, leaving Chelsea to tackle the rest of the season with their current squad.

Meanwhile, Barcelona are watching closely: the club’s fragile finances could create an unexpected opening for one of their young stars to make the leap to the Premier League.