West Ham have reportedly ‘called’ Barcelona over the availability of Junior Firpo in recent weeks, according to Spanish publication Sport (via Sport Witness).
The Hammers have been long-time admirers of the 24-year-old and were believed to be interested in bringing him to the London Stadium.
The report stated that the Dominican Republic-born left-back was close to joining West Ham until the Catalan club’s manager Ronald Koeman ‘rejected’ the notion of Firpo leaving the Nou Camp. AC Milan are also interested in signing the full-back on a six-month loan deal with a view to making the deal permanent for €20m (£17.7m) in the summer.
Koeman wants to keep hold of the defender signed from Real Betis in 2019 as the demands of this season increase as the campaign goes on, although Firpo has rarely featured under the current Barcelona manager.
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Upon signing him nearly 18 months ago, Barcelona instantly placed a staggering €200m (£177.6m) release clause into Firpo’s contract, a figure which is surely outside the Irons’ price range.
In fact, West Ham may have already moved on from the Barcelona ace as they line up a deal for teenage left-back Matthew Bondswell from RB Leipzig.
At 24, Firpo needs to find a club where he is the number one option, a status he might not be afforded in David Moyes’ squad with Aaron Cresswell still performing admirably at left-back.
