Barcelona star running out of patience with playing time; 21-year-old ready to consider options to leave Camp Nou: Reports

By Mohul Bhowmick

Modified Mar 27, 2025 14:03 GMT

FC Barcelona Training Day In Barcelona - Source: Getty — BARCELONA, SPAIN - MARCH 26: Hansi Flick, head coach of FC Barcelona. [Getty Images]

Barcelona midfielder Fermin Lopez is running out of patience with his lack of playing time and is reportedly considering his options to leave the club. As per El Nacional, the 21-year-old is eagerly looking for greener pastures, having started just six league games for the club this season.

Lopez was given his first-team debut by former Barca coach Xavi Hernandez last season, and he did not disappoint, scoring 11 goals across all competitions. He finished second in the goalscoring charts for Barcelona behind Robert Lewandowski, and naturally expected a progression this season.

However, new Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has not seen Lopez in the same light that Xavi did. This is despite the fact that the youngster has scored five goals and bagged five assists across all competitions. Lopez's contract runs till 2030 with Barca, but the report states that he is keen on exploring other options.

Atlético Madrid, Aston Villa, Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund are among the clubs interested in Lopez. Competition with Dani Olmo in the attacking midfield department has ensured that Lopez has not been a first-choice starter.

Barcelona's Fermin Lopez may face similar issues at other clubs

Lopez could face similar issues at Manchester United since the club have the likes of Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo, among others, on their roster. The club captain has been carrying the team on his shoulders for far too long.

This season, despite his 16 goals and 15 assists across all competitions, Manchester United are 13th in the Premier League. Along with Fernandes and Mainoo, the Red Devils also have their second striker Joshua Zirkzee, who has been deployed in the #10 position by head coach Ruben Amorim.

A similar scenario can be drawn at United's fellow Premier League club Aston Villa, where Lopez's compatriot Unai Emery is the manager. He will have to compete for a spot in the starting lineup with the likes of Ollie Watkins, Jacob Ramsey, Leon Bailey and Marcus Rashford (if his loan stay is made permanent).

Atletico Madrid, too, have enough options at the moment.

About the author

Mohul is a senior football, cricket and Olympic Sports writer at Sportskeeda, and has been in the organisation for more than 6 years. Some of his best work includes 118 exclusive interviews with famous sports personalities, insider talk and transfer speculations. He has also covered the entirety of the 2023-24 ISL season, Kalinga Super Cup and 2023-24 Pro Kabaddi League from the ground.

An MBA degree holder in Finance, Mohul is also a professional cricketer and is currently in the reserves for Hyderabad’s Ranji Trophy team. He’s also played league football in Hyderabad.

His football interest sparked after watching countless Rahim League matches at the Gymkhana and supporting the State Bank of Hyderabad. He grew up hearing stories about the legendary Syed Abdul Rahim and his incredible football team of the 1960s, which had a big influence on him. He has admired Manchester United’s dominance in English and European football as well.

Tennis star Leander Paes, Olympic gold-medalist Abhinav Bindra, cricketing legend Rahul Dravid and football star Chinglensana Singh are Mohul’s favorite athletes. He is a staunch Hyderabad FC supporter, and Sahil Tavora’s 88th-minute equalizer in the 2021-22 ISL Cup final against Kerala Blasters is one of his favorite footballing moments. Abhinav Bindra’s gold medal in shooting at the 2008 Olympics also had a huge impact on Mohul.

In his work, he strives to write relevant, accurate and unbiased stories by conducting thorough research. When not working, Mohul enjoys reading books and listening to heavy metal and rock music.

Know More

Edited by Sankalp Srivastava