FC Barcelona made a big move over the weekend, deciding to pay $33 million for the rights to acquire Real Betis left-back Junior Firpo.
Firpo has signed a five-year deal with the Catalan club, the reigning champions of La Liga, which includes a buyout clause of $224 million. The transfer fee paid by Barcelona to Betis includes $20 million which is fixed as well as up to $13 million in variables.
The Dominican-born left-back burst onto the scene for Betis last season, establishing himself as a first-team starter and proving himself as one of the top young talents in La Liga. The 22-year-old scored 3 goals in 29 total games while dishing out 5 assists.
He impressed with his ability to work as an agile and quick defender while associating into Betis’s offensive attack.
Firpo is not expected to arrive at Betis and immediately become a starter due to the presence of Jordi Alba at the position. He is expected to begin as a backup and gradually work his way towards more playing time as he develops and improves.
The left-back could end up being Barcelona’s fourth and final signing of the summer after adding Frenkie de Jong, Antoine Griezmann, and Neto.
