Fermin Lopez breaks silence on alleged rift with Gavi at Barcelona & explains why summer transfer to Chelsea never materialised

The Barcelona duo have been in the spotlight over the summer amid speculation of a rift having developed due to their girlfriends clashing. There has even been an allegation that Gavi asked Barcelona to transfer list Fermin after an angry clash between the pair. Fermin also seemed to fuel speculation about tension in the Barcelona dressing room with a cryptic post on social media, which he then swiftly deleted.

Fermin did have the opportunity to move away from Barcelona in the summer, as Premier League side Chelsea made a £37 million (€40m/$50m) bid for his services. However, the 22-year-old has opted to stay at Barcelona instead, and has now lifted the lid on a summer of speculation about his future at the club and his relationship with Gavi.

He told Mundo Deportivo: "Gavi has been my friend since I was 12. I’ve known him since my time at Betis, but since I joined La Masia, he’s been my friend, like my brother. We’ve shared a lot. People always speculate, this won’t change, but he’s still my friend. We have a good relationship, as always, and I have nothing more to say about that."

Fermin also explained his decision to shun a move to Chelsea, adding: "Well, in the end, my priority has always been to be at Barça. I arrived when I was 12; it was my dream to be here, to be able to reach the first team. It's always a compliment when there's interest from other clubs, but the truth is, I always had the idea of staying at Barça and being able to succeed here. There's been a lot of speculation about all this, but I insist: my priority has always been to be at Barça, and I never doubted being here. I've always felt I wanted to be here, to try to succeed, and to help the club."

Gavi and Fermin are both currently on international duty with Spain and preparing for World Cup qualifiers against Bulgaria and Turkey. The duo will then return to Barcelona for a La Liga clash with Valencia on September 14.