Fabrizio Romano shares major update on West Ham-linked Junior Firpo
Sky Sports journalist Fabrizio Romano has claimed that AC Milan have now opened talks with FC Barcelona full-back Junior Firpo who is also linked with West Ham.
The Hammers are keen on signing a left-back this summer to upgrade on Aaron Cresswell and per a report in Sport, have identified the Spanish international as a viable option.
Firpo impressed tremendously under Quique Setien at Real Betis, but his move to Barcelona hasn’t quite panned out the way he would have wanted it to.
Now, he’s understood to be looking for a way out of the club to get this career back on track next season, and The Daily Mail believe he could be available for as little as £14 million which is very good money for a 24-year-old international full-back who’s plying his trade at one of Europe’s finest clubs.
However, to sign him, West Ham will have to act quickly, as Milan have re-opened talks to sign the player this summer. While Romano hasn’t said it yet, the Italians could be looking to sign him as Theo Hernandez could be on his way out.
Sign him up
For £14 million, Firpo could prove to be one of the best value for money players available on the market this summer.
Just because his move to the Camp Nou didn’t work out, doesn’t mean he’s not a quality player who would strengthen our first team and prove to be an upgrade on the 31-year-old Cresswell who arguably has his best days behind him, and eventually needs replacing.
He is a tremendously astute passer as well. Per StatsBomb data, his 90.2 percent pass competition rate puts him in the 99th percentile of all full-backs in Europe’s top-five leagues.
The 24-year-old also offers a phenomenal threat going forward. His 9.12 progressive carries put him in the 99th percentile as well, while his 3.36 touches in the opposition penalty area per 90 minutes place him in the 94th one.
He seems a perfect fit for the Premier League and could thrive in David Moyes’ system that relies heavily on attacking full-backs playing crosses into the fox.
Sign him up, you Irons!
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