Barcelona are reportedly on the verge of signing Real Betis left-back Junior Firpo, and could wrap up a deal for their top target by Monday.
The Catalan giants have already been active in the transfer window, bringing in marquee signings in the form of Frenkie de Jong and Antoine Griezmann.
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One key area in which coach Ernesto Valverde needs to add quality depth though is at left-back, given Jordi Alba has continued to play heavy minutes and carry a huge workload in recent years.
Last season alone the 30-year-old made 54 appearances in all competitions, and so competition for places and a long-term replacement will be needed sooner rather than later.
It appears as though Barcelona are on the cusp of ticking both those boxes as Sport note that they have already agreed on a five-year contract with Firpo, and will offer €20m+ to Betis with a view of the transfer being completed by Monday at the latest.
It’s important to note that the report does stress that there isn’t an agreement between the two clubs on a transfer fee as of yet, but it’s made clear that Barcelona are confident that they will land their target in the next 48 hours.
To reiterate that optimism, it’s even suggested that Firpo could join up with the squad and play a part in their pre-season preparations, and so it doesn’t sound as though there will be much of an issue between the two clubs moving forward.
In turn, it’s another sensible signing from the Catalan giants to give Valverde a squad capable of competing on multiple fronts this season and beyond, assuming that he makes use of that depth and rotates to rest key players at the appropriate time.
The defence of their La Liga crown begins on August 16 against Athletic Bilbao, while they will certainly hope to bounce back from their Champions League disappointments over the last two years and put that right this time round.
