Jordi Alba has cemented the left-back position at Barcelona over the past few years, but the La Liga winners do not have a recognised back-up for the Spain international.
On the front page of Sport, it’s stated that Junior Firpo has emerged as a target for the Catalan club and they are ‘interested’ in the Real Betis star.
The 22-year-old has impressed for his side sine making the first team debut in 2018 and the Spanish champions have been following the Betis star for several weeks.
Betis vice-president Llorenç Serra Ferrer met the Blaugrana leaders and Junior was one of the topics of the discussion.
Ernesto Valverde’s side expressed their interest in the the full-back and asked about the fee needed to conclude the deal. He has a €60m release clause in his contract, but Betis could sanction his sale for €30m.
The Blaugrana are looking to bring in a player who can provide competition to Alba and believe Junior can not only do that, but can also be the long-term replacement for the former Valencia man.
Though Junior was born in Dominican Republic, he holds a Spanish passport and should Barca sign him, he would not be considered as a non-EU player.
“Option Junior’ for Barcelona was put on hold because of Betis, but in recent hours, the two clubs have resumed talks for the player.
The Betis star has made 27 starts across all competitions and should Junior move to Camp Nou in the summer, his chances of featuring regularly next season would be reduced.
