Chelsea hold concrete interest in £35m Barcelona star with same agent as Delap

Chelsea now hold a concrete interest in signing a “spectacular” Barcelona player, who has the same agent as Liam Delap, it has been revealed.

Blues making plans for 2026 after busy summer window

The Blues have spent extremely heavily under BlueCo ownership, with Football FanCast recently detailing some of their most expensive signings, which includes the likes of Moises Caicedo, who cost £115m, while Enzo Fernandez set them back £107m.

As expected, the west Londoners were once again extremely active in the summer transfer window, spending a whopping €328.15m (£285m), although they balanced the books with a number of big sales.

However, despite making several key additions to the squad, Enzo Maresca may feel more arrivals will be required in January, given that a new centre-back was not brought in following the injury blow to Levi Colwill.

Not only that, but it has now been revealed that Chelsea missed out on another target in the final stages of the January transfer window, with Fabrizio Romano telling GiveMeSport they made a late approach to sign Barcelona midfielder Femin Lopez.

A €40m (£35m) offer was made for Lopez, which was knocked back by the Spanish club, but the 22-year-old could still end up at Stamford Bridge in the future, with Romano detailing the Blues hold a concrete interest.

That said, it could be difficult to get a deal over the line, given that the Spaniard wants to stay at the Camp Nou, as Barca are his boyhood club, and he is held in very high regard by his current employers.

“Spectacular” Lopez could be Buonanotte upgrade

The signing of Buonanotte can perhaps be viewed as a little strange, with the 20-year-old arriving on loan from Premier League rivals Brighton & Hove Albion, and he has since been omitted from Chelsea’s Champions League squad.

That is despite the fact the youngster stated playing in Europe’s elite competition was a factor behind choosing to move to Stamford Bridge, saying: “Of course, I’ll get the opportunity to play in the Champions League for the first time, which will be a great challenge.

“I’m really looking forward to this season and hopefully I can help the club to achieve its goals.”

Unlike Buonanotte, who is yet to establish himself at the top level, having been relegated with Leicester City last season, Lopez has already proven himself at Barcelona, chipping in with eight goals and ten assists in all competitions in the 2024-25 campaign.

Not only that, but the Barca academy graduate, who is represented by the same agent as Delap, has also received high praise from former manager Xavi in the past, who lauded him for his “spectacular mentality”, which suggests he could be an instant upgrade on Buonanotte in attacking midfield.