Leeds United defender Junior Firpo has suggested that he is open to returning to Barcelona in future if an opportunity to do so arises.
In a conversation with DAZN, as quoted by Sport Witness, Junior Firpo has responded positively to questions surrounding a possible return to Barcelona in future. The 25-year-old has also suggested that he is keen on going back to his roots by rejoining his first senior club, Real Betis if an opportunity presents itself.
Junior Firpo was once widely regarded as one of the most promising young full-backs in Europe. The 25-year-old spent his formative years with several clubs before eventually striking gold at Real Betis. It was at the Andalusian club that he went from strength to strength after making his first-team debut in February 2018.
Barcelona came calling for Firpo shortly after a productive 2018/19 campaign, and he joined the Blaugrana in August 2019. But his stint with Barcelona did not work out as envisioned, as the player had to play second fiddle to Jordi Alba throughout his two-year stay at Camp Nou.
Firpo also failed to make an impression when he got the opportunity, and it was hardly surprising when Barcelona sold him last summer. The 25-year-old joined Leeds United, but he has struggled to perform consistently in the ongoing campaign. Some of his performances have left a lot to be desired, like the one against Tottenham Hotspur this weekend.
Firpo has made 21 appearances across all competitions for Leeds thus far, managing just one assist along the way. But in a conversation with DAZN (h/t Sport Witness), Firpo suggested that he would be open to rejoining Real Betis and will not say no to Barcelona if the Catalan giants came calling again in future.
Firpo said, “I would love to spend a lot of time here, but, well, in the end, the house always wins and I would like to return to Betis, obviously. I didn’t even say no to Barça the first time and it would be very difficult to say no the second time, obviously.”
An approach from Barcelona is unlikely despite Jordi Alba’s inconsistent performances this term. The Catalan giants are showing interest in several left-backs, with Alejandro Grimaldo among their key targets. As for a possible return to Real Betis, it remains unclear if the Andalusian giants will make a move after looking at his performances for Leeds.
