West Ham make offer for Barcelona full-back Junior Firpo
West Ham have made an offer for Barcelona defender Junior Firpo but the full-back is unconvinced by a move to the Irons, according to Rudy Galetti.
Writing on his personal Twitter profile on Friday evening, the Italian journalist, who regularly appears on Il Pallone Gonfiato, reported that the Premier League club have made their move for the 25-year-old.
He wrote: “Important offer from West Ham for Junior Firpo. The Barcelona full-back is not convinced and only wants AC Milan (who are working on a loan deal). Not an easy negotiation, but the will of the Spaniard, who wants Champions League football, can be decisive.”
Time to re-focus our efforts?
It’s encouraging to hear we have already started to ramp up our interest in players ahead of a huge transfer window that could define our season.
There can be no denying that significant reinforcements are required this summer in order to be competitive in multiple competitions, particularly the Premier League and Europa League.
An increased workload will put a massive strain on our small, existing squad, and thus new signings are imperative.
That doesn’t mean wholesale changes, but some key areas need to be targeted this summer, and full-back is one of them.
Specifically, that is, at left-back. Aaron Cresswell was a reliable performer during the 2020/21 campaign but he turns 32 later this year, while Arthur Masuaku made just 13 appearances last season as he suffered from injury.
Masuaku should be allowed to leave the London Stadium this summer, and it appears David Moyes is of a similar mindset if he is pursuing left-back targets like Firpo.
The Barcelona man looks like an upgrade on the DR Congo international, despite his difficulties at the Nou Camp. It was only two years ago that he was starring for Real Betis and he’s unlikely to have lost much of that star power, with the world-class talents of Jordi Alba the main reasons for his lack of minutes at Barcelona.
Regardless, though, it sounds like a deal could be difficult to reach given his preference for Champions League football.
His proposed move to Milan may well break down with the Italian giants only prepared to offer a loan at this present time, but even if that deal doesn’t get over the line, we shouldn’t be viewed as a backup option, and we should now identify alternative left-back targets.
In other West Ham news, the Irons have made contact over a deal for this Euro 2020 striker who scored a Champions League brace in November.
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