Quickly emerging as a priority for Leeds United this summer is the need for a new left-back with Junior Firpo now expected to move on from Elland Road, amid interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs.
Firpo, 28, has spent the last four seasons at Leeds. In what has been a Jekyll and Hyde-type spell, Firpo really struggled with the quality of the Premier League in his first two, coinciding with injury and COVID.
But relegation to the Championship and the appointment of Daniel Farke has helped Firpo return to his best. Last season, Firpo played a key role in Leeds’ promotion with an impressive 14 goals and assists.
Harshly left out of the Championship Team of the Year, Firpo is now in the final three weeks of his Leeds contract. It is ‘widely anticipated’ that Firpo leaves and Leeds need to bring in a replacement for him.
Aston Villa fans discuss possible Leeds move for Alex Moreno
Leeds have been linked with an abundance of left-backs, including Liverpool’s Konstantinos Tsimikas and Tottenham stalwart Ben Davies. Now, reports say Leeds are in talks to sign Aston Villa lefty Alex Moreno.
The 32-year-old, who joined Villa in January 2023 and made his Premier League debut against Leeds, has spent the last year on loan at Nottingham Forest. He is expected to move on and Leeds are interested.
Villa fans took to social media following the reports that Leeds are supposedly considering a move to land the Spanish defender, and many are seemingly open to his exit as he returns from his Forest loan.
Villa are in a poor position when it comes to complying with Profit & Sustainability Rules and will need to sell in order to improve their position. Offloading fringe players like Moreno will certainly help with that.
One fan believes Villa can get as much “£10m” for Moreno despite his age and that his contract expires next summer. But clearly, he is open to his exit. Another said “he’d be a good fit for Leeds, to be fair”.
Plenty of Villa fans are seemingly ready to part ways with Moreno, another tweeting “good move all round” and another said “love the guy but we don’t need three left-backs”. Clearly, Moreno is likely to go.
How much would Leeds need to pay for Alex Moreno?
Bought for £13.3m in the winter window of the 2022-23 season, Villa are obviously going to record a loss on the left-back given he is no longer in his twenties and is surplus to requirements under Unai Emery.
After the initial reports that Leeds had staged talks to sign Moreno, it then emerged that Villa would only want £5m if Leeds were to buy Moreno. A small-ish, yet understandable fee given his age and contract.
Whether Moreno would go down well with Leeds fans remains to be seen. A fringe player at Forest last season and certainly at Villa, Leeds may prefer someone on the up than a 32-year-old on the way down.
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