Enzo Maresca has twice spoken to Fermin Lopez on the phone in an attempt to lure the Barcelona attacking midfielder to Chelsea, according to reports in Spain.
Chelsea have already brought in six new recruits across a busy transfer window, with Joao Pedro, Jamie Gittens, Jorrel Hato, Liam Delap, Dario Essugo and Mamadou Sarr all signing on the dotted line at Stamford Bridge.
But the Blues are determined to further strengthen before the deadline on September 1, with RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons and Barcelona’s Lopez still firmly on the club’s radar.
Simons is understood to have agreed personal terms with Chelsea and is eager to push through a switch to west London. However, Leipzig’s €70million (£60.4m) asking price remains an obstacle during talks between the two sides.
Lopez, meanwhile, has been the subject of strong interest from Chelsea for some time, with the Club World Cup winners first approaching Barca to gauge the Spaniard’s potential availability at the start of the summer.
Your ultimate guide to the football season
Metro’s football newsletter: In The Mixer. Exclusive analysis, FPL tips and transfer talk sent straight to your inbox every Friday – sign up, it’s an open goal.
Various reports emanating out of Catalonia this week suggest Chelsea have lodged a €50m (£43.2m) offer for Lopez – and Barcelona’s hierarchy are thought to be ‘carefully evaluating’ the proposal.
But according to Cadena COPE, Barcelona sporting director Deco would not be prepared to open the door for Lopez to leave for anything less than €70m (£60.4m).
The Spanish radio station suggest that a move ‘could be finalised’ before the deadline, but only if the Europa Conference League champions are willing to meet Barca’s valuation of the Spain international.
The La Liga champions are said to be aware that Maresca has spoken with Lopez ‘a couple of times’ to try and convince the 22-year-old to sign for Chelsea.
While Lopez had been reluctant to leave, the midfielder did not play a single minute against Levante at the weekend which has ‘made him reconsider his situation’.
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web
browser that
supports HTML5
video
Manchester United have also been linked with Lopez in recent weeks, but the Old Trafford giants have cooled their interest to focus on other targets.
Lopez put pen to paper on a new contract at the Camp Nou last autumn, trying him to the club until June 2029.
In an interview with Mundo Deportivo earlier this month, Lopez played down speculation that he could be set to depart Barca and urged supporters to ‘rest easy’ over his future.
‘I want to stay here,’ Lopez said.
‘It’s my dream and I’ll stay. I’m happy to help the team.
‘Many things have been said, but I’m going to continue defending these colours and working as hard as anyone. The fans can rest easy.’
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.