West Ham have been linked with a January move for Barcelona left-back Junior Firpo, according to a report from Mundo Deportivo (via Sport Witness).
Signed by the Catalan giants in 2019 from fellow La Liga side Real Betis, Firpo has struggled to oust Jordi Alba as Barca’s regular full-back and could be on the lookout for more first team opportunities.
The 24-year-old has made just one league appearance from the substitutes’ bench this term, with five Champions League outings his main source of action (Transfermarkt).
The Spanish publication claimed the Nou Camp club ‘will not oppose’ a loan move in January as the full-back seeks more action in the second half of the season.
David Moyes is claimed to have ‘long shown interest’ in taking the player on a loan deal with a ‘purchase option’.
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An initial loan deal without an obligation to buy comes with little to no risk attached to it. Should Moyes be unimpressed with Firpo’s potential stint, then the club can cut their ties in the summer and look elsewhere.
The 24-year-old isn’t the first left-back to be linked with a move to the London Stadium of late, perhaps a telltale sign that Moyes has one eye on a long term replacement for the evergreen Aaron Cresswell.
Whilst Arthur Masuaku’s recent surgery rules out the only natural cover for Cresswell for the meantime, Ben Johnson provides an option within Moyes’ squad to fill in should Cresswell go down with an injury.
However, with the Irons stalwart heading towards the twilight of his career, there are significant indications that Moyes may be on the lookout for a younger model.
Firpo, described in a Total Football Analysis scout report as an “electric full-back”, could fit the bill for West Ham on a loan spell.
