Promising FC Barcelona midfielder Fermin Lopez has revealed that he would be open to leaving the club on loan again during an interview with the EFE news agency.
Fermin joined Barca’s La Masia academy from Real Betis as a 13-year-old, but his journey to the first team was by no means as easy as that of close friend and fellow graduate Gavi for example.
In 2022, he made just one appearance for the reserves and was then loaned out to third tier Linares where he scored 12 goals.
The youngster confessed to the EFE how he believed he “was not going to come back” to Barca once shipped out, and even less so to the first team.
Last summer, however, after impressing head coach Xavi Hernandez in training on his return to the club, Fermin was whisked off to the United States on a preseason tour.
He raised eyebrows there by scoring a screamer and providing an assist against Real Madrid, during a 3-0 El Clasico friendly win at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texa.
Other strikes have followed against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League and Mallorca in La Liga, while Fermin also hit the post in a Clasico lost to Los Blancos in late October.
It seems unlikely that he will be sent elsewhere for a temporary assignment, but the 20-year-old is humble and hardworking enough to embark on such an endeavour if it’s what the club and his career require.
“If I have to go out on loan, I already have the experience and I just hope it goes as well [as last time] and I can come back,” he said.
As for fellow Andalusian Gavi, who is currently sidelined for the rest of the season with an ACL tear, Fermin shed light on their friendship and his recovery.
“We’ve always lived together at La Masia, and the fact that we’re not together on the pitch is sad,” Fermin lamented.
“These first few days have been a bit hard for him, because football and Barca are everything to him. It affected him a bit not being able to help. but he is strong and will soon be with the team again,” Fermin added.