Man Utd ready spectacular £129m bid for elite Barcelona star – report | OneFootball

Manchester United are preparing to offer a huge €150million (£129m) for Barcelona ace Fermin Lopez, a report has ambitiously claimed.

United are now the only ‘Big Six’ club not to have broken the £100m barrier on a new signing after Tottenham Hotspur smashed their transfer record with the stunning capture of Sandro Tonali in July. United’s record signing remains the £89m deal that saw Paul Pogba return to Old Trafford 10 years ago.

Over the summer, United refused to pay massive fees for top midfield targets Elliot Anderson and Mateus Fernandes, instead allowing the pair to join Premier League rivals.

INEOS chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants United to search for bargains in the transfer market so the club can become more sustainable, but Catalan outlet El Nacional has gone in a completely different direction with an outrageous claim about Lopez.

They report that United chiefs are plotting a €150m/£129m bid to try and lure the attacking midfielder to Old Trafford.

United supposedly want Lopez to become their new talisman, eventually succeeding Bruno Fernandes in the No 10 role.

It is claimed that United have doubts over whether the likes of Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha or Bryan Mbeumo can take up this mantle in the coming years.

The report adds that Chelsea are continuing to monitor Lopez’s situation, too. It has previously been claimed Chelsea would be willing to pay as much as £120m for him.

Despite fresh links with elite Premier League clubs, the Spain star is poised to stay at the Camp Nou for the long run.

In February, he penned a new long-term contract with Barca that runs until June 2031.

Blaugrana president Joan Laporta knows Lopez is ‘absolutely essential’ for Hansi Flick and has no intention of selling him in the near future.

Fermin Lopez to Man Utd highly unlikely

The 23-year-old does not want to leave Barca either, especially as United ‘do not have a stable project’.

While United will understandably be fans of Lopez, given his status as one of the best attacking midfielders in the world, it is highly unlikely that they are actually planning to offer £129m for his services.

Lopez has been in great form this season, having notched four goals and two assists in seven appearances, and he wants to help Barca achieve LaLiga and Champions League glory under Flick.

Rather than sign a No 10, United look set to enter the market for a new left-back, centre-half and striker in 2027.

Michael Carrick’s side have missed out on Newcastle left-back Lewis Hall and are instead targeting Tyrick Mitchell of Crystal Palace and Lopez’s Barca team-mate Alejandro Balde.

Joshua Zirkzee is at risk of being replaced by a new striker, and United have been told to sign a ‘terrific’ forward who is a ‘bully’