SPAIN STAR RESPONDS AFTER MAN UTD LODGE £25M BID FOR THE BARCELONA MIDFIELDER
Barcelona midfielder Fermin Lopez insists he’s “not really interested” in speculation after Man Utd reportedly lodged a bid for his services.
New co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is looking to bring down the age of the Old Trafford squad with reports claiming he’s instructed the recruitment department to only sign players 25 or under.
Another rule Erik ten Hag and the transfer team must follow is ‘no Galacticos’ with Ratcliffe’s comments on a potential move for Kylian Mbappe revealing his thoughts on the profile of player Man Utd should be targeting.
Speaking before Mbappe’s summer move to Real Madrid was confirmed, Ratcliffe said: “What I would rather do, I would rather find the next Mbappe, rather than spend a fortune to just try and buy success.
“It’s not that clever, is it? Buying Mbappe. In a way. Anyone could figure that one out. But what is much more challenging is to find the next Mbappe or the next [Jude] Bellingham or the next Roy Keane.”
On the potential of signing England superstar Jude Bellingham, which the interviewer admitted Man Utd had ‘no chance’ of doing, Ratcliffe added: “He’s a great footballer [but] it’s not where our focus is.
“The solution isn’t spending a lot of money on a couple of great players. They’ve done that, if you look at the last 10 years.
“The first thing we need to do is get the right people in the right boxes, managing and organising the club.
MORE MAN UTD COVERAGE ON F365…
Man Utd ‘open to a big offer’ for Mbappe replacement as Ten Hag ‘sets sights’ on Chelsea flop
Man Utd co-owner Ratcliffe fires ‘direct attack’ at Glazer family with finance expert ‘amazed’
“We must make sure we get recruitment right, such a vital part of running a football club is getting recruitment right, finding new players.”
And Lopez certainly fits into the type of player that Ratcliffe and INEOS want to see arriving at Old Trafford this summer with a report earlier this week suggesting Man Utd have made a £25m bid for the Barcelona midfielder.
But the 21-year-old wants to concentrate on becoming a regular in Hansi Flick’s side at the Camp Nou. When asked specifically about a bid from Man Utd, Fermin said: “I don’t read the press, I’m not really interested.
“The important thing is that I want to be at Barca and I only think about Barca. Nothing else.”
When asked if he had spoken to new Barcelona head coach Flick, Fermin – who is on duty at Euro 2024 with Spain – said: “He wished us all luck in the first game, but that’s about it.
“A couple of messages and that’s it. I guess he’ll watch the Euros and keep an eye on me.”
Before leaving Barcelona in May, Xavi urged the Catalan giants to keep Fermin at the La Liga club, he said: “We were told that his loan [at Linares] had been very good.
“I had liked him for a couple of years. When we tried him in pre-season, I saw that he was ready to compete. He’s a player for many years.”
2024-06-28T11:18:55Z dg43tfdfdgfd