Barcelona want to sell Junior Firpo for £18 million this summer with Arsenal, West Ham United and Southampton keen on the seldom-seen left-back, as reported by Sport.
With Lionel Messi back to his brilliant best, his enduring genius elevated by the youthful exuberance of Pedri, Ilaix Moriba and Francisco Trincao, a season that appeared to be crumbling into dust only a few months ago could end in a domestic double.
Football really is a fickle game.
A run of 14 wins in 17 matches means an apparently crisis-hit Barca are now clawing at Atletico Madrid’s coat-tails, diving back into an intriguing La Liga race while preparing to face Athletic Club in April’s Copa del Rey final.
But while things are looking up on the pitch, the Kings of Catalonia still face selling the crown jewels as the coffers run dry.
Arthur, Nelson Semedo, Carlos Perez, Luis Suarez, Ivan Rakitic, Arturo Vidal and more were all forced out the door last summer. And, with debts spiralling, Barcelona are once again desperately trying to find buyers for a number of fringe players.
One of them, Firpo, should find a new club without too much difficulty.
Sport claims Napoli are interested after losing Faouzi Ghoulam to another long-term injury. The Serie A side are fighting a losing battle as they look to sign Firpo on a two-year loan deal, although Barca would be happy to let the left-back go if they receive an offer in the region of £18 million.
Sport adds a number of Premier League clubs are also interested in Jordi Alba’s understudy.
One of those is likely to be Arsenal, with sporting director Edu making a new left-back his top priority (Football London). The Gunners made a bid for Firpo in January (Mundo Deportivo).
As did Southampton – a side set to lose Ryan Bertrand on a free in the summer (Marca).
West Ham, meanwhile, were willing to take Firpo off Barcelona’s hands two months ago and are likely to be back in the race when the window opens again (ESPN).
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