Serie A side Napoli have reportedly joined West Ham in the race to sign Barcelona left-back Junior Firpo.
The Hammers were linked with a loan move for the 24-year-old in January with a view to potentially making the move permanent in the summer, but there may now be big-name competition as Calciomercato claimed that the Azzurri are also interested in Firpo.
La Liga side Granada are also credited with an interest in the report which mentions the Irons’ link with the defender, whose future at the Nou Camp is very much under the spotlight as we approach the January transfer window.
Firpo has played just six times this season under Ronald Koeman, five of which have come in the Champions League (as per Transfermarkt).
David Moyes has been linked with a host of young left-backs in recent months, which suggest that the manager has at least half an eye on a long-term successor to Aaron Cresswell. who has been converted to a centre-back this season.
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Highly regarded during his time at Real Betis – Firpo was signed by Barcelona to provide competition for Jordi Alba, although things haven’t really worked out for the 24-year-old at Camp Nou.
Despite never playing outside of Spain, the Hammers and Napoli would be taking a reasoned, calculated gamble on the left-back, who has a market value of £12.7m according to Transfermarkt.
