Officials at Manchester City have been claimed to have made transfer enquiries over Barcelona’s highly-rated attacking midfielder Fermin Lopez, according to new reports.

City have undergone a significant first-team revamp in the recent window, with newly-appointed director of football Hugo Viana sanctioning permanent and loan exits for several senior stars who have underperformed in recent seasons.

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Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker, James McAtee, Ilkay Gundogan, Ederson and Scott Carson have all left permanently, with Jack Grealish (Everton), Manuel Akanji (Inter Milan), Claudio Echeverri (Bayer Leverkusen), Vitor Reis (Girona) and summer signing Sverre Nypan (Middlesbrough) leaving on season-long loans.

The acquisitions of James Trafford, Marcus Bettinelli and Gianluigi Donnarumma – signed from Paris Saint-Germain on deadline – have overhauled Manchester City’s goalkeeping department, with Guardiola expected to allow Trafford and Donnarumma fight it out for the number one position in the coming months.

Off the back of their most underwhelming Premier League campaign under Guardiola – wherein City finished in third place in the table with 71 points, exited the UEFA Champions League at the Round of 16 stage and lost the FA Cup final to Crystal Palace – the Blues have made a miserable start to their 2025-26 season.

A convincing 4-0 beating of Wolves on the opening day of the season has been followed with underwhelming performances in defeats against Tottenham and Brighton’s recent Premier League games, with the Blues facing Manchester United, Napoli and Arsenal in their upcoming trio of fixtures.

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Much has been made of Manchester City’s transfer business since their back-to-back recent Premier League defeats, with many left wondering if Viana and co have failed to address the squad’s defensive frailties – a key hallmark of their troubles last season, especially during the long-term absence of Ballon d’Or winner Rodri.

Furthermore, questions have also been raised on whether City possess the creativity in midfield to supply Erling Haaland up front, with the likes of Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki failing to replicate their opening day heroics against Wolves in City’s defeats against Tottenham and Brighton.

According to the information of TBR Football, Fermin Lopez was the subject of enquiries from Manchester City in the summer transfer market, and was also wanted by the club’s Premier League rivals Chelsea before a move failed to materialise on deadline day.

In light of collapsed talks over a move to Stamford Bridge, Lopez made it clear that he was not looking to leave Barcelona during a conversation with Mundo Deportivo, as he explained, “There has been a lot of speculation, but I’ll repeat: my priority was always to stay at Barca.

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“I never doubted that. I’ve always felt that I wanted to be here, to try to succeed, and to help the club. The future is unpredictable, but yes, I see myself here for many years, hopefully for a long time at Barca.”

The player’s contractual situation also remains hugely positive for Barcelona, as Lopez is currently contracted until the summer of 2029 and as such would command a high price tag for any future suitors.