No doubts: Fermín will continue at Barça

BarcelonaFermín López will remain at Barça. A few days ago, Chelsea approached Barça, offering a fee close to 40 million euros to open transfer negotiations, always subject to the player's final decision, and he ultimately opted to stay at home. Sources close to him confirmed this to ARA, meaning the club is left without a transfer fee that would have been quite lucrative for its financial situation. Fermín has a contract until 2029 and, for now, remains determined to fulfill it. Hansi Flick is breathing easy because he didn't want to lose any more players, while sporting director Anderson Luis de Souza, known as Deco, is holding onto an asset that he never intended to sell for less than 60 million euros, despite the club's financial needs.

Trained at La Masia, Fermín, who in recent weeks has had problems in the dressing room due to a dispute with Gavi, had an option for a change of scenery and to earn more money at Chelsea. Before the match against Rayo Vallecano, Flick didn't dare guarantee his continuity, but did convey a certain optimism: "I think he's going to stay." On Wednesday, he had a conversation with the player to let him know that he didn't want him to leave. Despite the conversation, Fermín hasn't made any public gestures to communicate his intentions at any time. Simply put, the transfer market is over, and he hasn't asked to leave.

On Sunday, in Vallecas, the coach brought him on for Dani Olmo from the 62nd minute onwards. In the post-match press conference, when asked about the Andalusian's continued presence, he stated: "I'm eager for the transfer market to be over. I don't want the year to be like that." Although the player has remained silent throughout and has acknowledged Chelsea's interest, Fermín's intention has been to remain at Barça - "His heart is at Barça," Flick said on Saturday. Since he hasn't asked to leave the club, there have been no concrete negotiations with Chelsea.

Hector Fort will ultimately play for Elche.

The one who did leave Barça as planned was Héctor Fort. The loan to Mallorca was agreed, but the Barcelona native's departure—who did not train with Barça on Friday pending resolution of his future—was dependent on Pablo Maffeo. If the former Girona player left the island club, Fort would have signed his contract with the Balearic club. Without Flick's confidence, staying at Barça was the last option, as he would have been relegated to the reserve team, at least until January. "Although he will have the U-20 World Cup at the end of September, it would have been very tough mentally for Hector," sources close to the player raised in the Les Corts neighborhood told ARA.

Maffeo's departure from Mallorca did not come to fruition. This forced Fort's representatives to hastily activate an alternative that involved another La Liga team that was waiting for last-minute moves. Finally, Fort is on loan to Eder Sarabia's Elche, where Iñaki Peña will also play on loan this season. Clubs that had inquired about the full-back last summer, such as Girona and Dortmund, were not an option.

With Fort's departure from Elche, Barça was able to register Marc Bernal with a first-team contract before the transfer window closed. Roony Bardghji, thanks to a guarantee that still needs to be validated, will also be available for Barça-Valencia on September 14. However, he is currently only registered with the reserve team.