Barcelona have completed the capture of 22-year-old Real Betis star Junior Firpo, the La Liga champions announced on Sunday.
Barcelona have made an official statement to confirm that they have secured the services of Junior Firpo. The 22-year-old full-back has joined the La Liga champions from Real Betis, signing a five-year deal, with the Blaugrana landing him on a €30 million deal.
It might have only been a year since Junior Firpo burst onto the scene with Real Betis. But, in such a short span of time, the player has made a massive impression, becoming a key figure for Los Verdiblancos and becoming one of the first names on the team sheet last season, when fit and available.
? Welcome @JuniorFirpo03!
?? #ReadyToColor pic.twitter.com/VuIR4yenXz— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 4, 2019
His progress did not get overlooked, with a number of top clubs across Europe casting admiring glances towards him. But, in the wake of being a contributing member in Spain’s triumphant UEFA Under-21 Euro, La Liga champions Barcelona began actively pursuing a deal for the 22-year-old.
The early rumours suggested that the Catalan giants were ready to offer a player plus cash deal to fellow La Liga club Real Betis for Firpo. And, the forthcoming interest from Barcelona did make a great deal of sense.
Jordi Alba has been a pivotal member of the Barcelona first-team setup for years now. But, if recent campaigns have showed anything, it’s that the Spaniard is in need of an able backup, who can fill in effectively as and when required, with the experienced left-back also slacking in form towards the fag end of last season.
With Marc Cucurella sold and Juan Miranda not enjoying Ernesto Valverde’s confidence, it had become clear that an external solution needed to be sought. As a result, Firpo, who is one of the brightest up and coming full-backs in all of Europe, had emerged as a viable target for Barcelona, seeing as he could learn the ropes from Alba before establishing himself as a first-choice left-back in the years to come.
⚠ All the details about @@JuniorFirpo03, new Barça player
?? #ReadyToColor— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 4, 2019
The La Liga champions though, had been unwilling to meet Betis’ valuation of the player. Reports had suggested that Barcelona were not prepared to shell out €30 million upfront to secure the services of the 22-year-old and we’re only ready to pay €20 million. And, they have finally succeeded in landing their key target.
The official statement entails that Barcelona have met the €30 million price tag, but will only pay €18 million as base fee. The remaining €12 million are add-ons, with Firpo signing a five-year contract with the La Liga giants.
So, it looks like Barcelona have secured their long-term future, as far as the left-back slot is concerned. It now remains to be seen if Junior Firpo can take to the challenges of playing for the La Liga champions, as he begins a new journey in his career.
