Fermin Lopez announced his desire to retire at Barcelona after rubbishing rumours of a potential transfer to Manchester United. The midfielder delivered the verdict on his future following his starring role in the La Liga champions' 6-1 win over Alaves on Saturday.

The 23-year-old scored and provided two assists in the victory that saw Barca maintain their position at the top of the table. Lopez has enjoyed a productive start to the season with six goals and six assists in 13 games across all competitions and has started eight of their 11 league games thus far.

A move away from his boyhood club is the furthest thing on his mind as he addressed the rumours of a move to Old Trafford. He said after full-time: "Manchester United links? I don’t pay attention to that kind of news.

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"I want to stay here at Barcelona as long as possible. I hope to end my football career at this club and retire here."

United are reportedly seeking to add more goals and flair to their midfield, with Lopez emerging as a possible target for next summer. The Spaniard attracted interest from Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain last year, with the Blues said to have had a £40million bid rejected for the star.

Lopez's dismissal of a move would certainly come as a disappointment to United, given captain Bruno Fernandes is their biggest goal threat and is entering the final year of his contract.

The Portuguese star recorded 31 goal involvements last season, just one more than Lopez did in Barca's successful defence of the league title. Hansi Flick's side look on course for a third consecutive championship triumph with 30 points racked up so far.

Lopez's impressive performances have come after a brutal summer where he was ruled out of Spain's World Cup squad due to injury and could only watch as his country went on to win the trophy for a second time.