Real Madrid and Barcelona have gone to battle over numerous young talents in recent years, no longer going to war over the biggest stars with Barcelona struggling financially.
The likes of Pedri, Pablo Torre, and Takefusa Kubo all could have ended up at their biggest rivals of late, and it appears Fermin Lopez is the latest to have had interest from the other side of the divide.
Lopez, who is carving out a role for himself in Barcelona’s first team this season, spent last year on loan at Linares in the third tier. Playing as a number 10, Lopez scored 12 goals and gave 4 assists during his single season, attracting the attention of Real Madrid, as per Relevo.
On the 13th of November, Los Blancos sent a scout to watch him for Linares against Union Adarve in the Copa del Rey. After the match, Lopez’s report was filed under the ‘interesting/sign’ category.
Yet with Lopez still have a year left on his deal, and Los Blancos believing it highly unlikely Barcelona would allow him to leave for their biggest rivals, they did not make a move for Fermin.
Lopez was due to spend this season at Barca Atletic, with Xavi Hernandez keeping a close eye on him. As it was, his preseason peformances have earned him a spot in the first team squad since mid-August. Barcelona have now extended his contract until 2027.