Exclusive: ‘Outstanding’ Leeds star open to signing new deal but also has next move in mind

Junior Firpo is open to extending his stay at Leeds United and committing to a new deal, TEAMtalk can reveal, though the in-form left-back knows where he would like to play next if he does end up leaving Elland Road as a free agent.

The Dominican Republic international moved to Leeds in a £12.9m (€15m / $16.8m) move from Barcelona in summer 2021, in a transfer that would also see the LaLiga giants claim a 25% cut of any future deal. Having signed a four-year deal at the time, that arrangement is currently due to expire at the end of the current season.

As a result, Firpo will be eligible to sign a pre-contract agreement to move overseas from January 1, with a free-transfer departure from Leeds currently an option to the 28-year-old.

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But while Firpo struggled initially in his time in West Yorkshire, especially during the club’s relegation season from the Premier League in the 2022/23 campaign, the player has thrived under the management of Daniel Farke and has proved one of the club’s most consistent performers over the calendar year.

Now we can exclusively reveal that Firpo has given the green light to Leeds that he would like to sign an extension to his current arrangement, though wants to first understand the intentions and ambitions of the club before putting pen to paper.

What we can confirm, though, is that Firpo is very happy in England and indeed in West Yorkshire, where the player and his young family are extremely settled.

However, much depends on Leeds’ ambitions and as he waits to see how the first few months of the new season go and to see if the club looks capable of mounting another promotion charge.

Junior Firpo future – where could the player end up next?

Firpo has been strongly linked with a return to one of his former clubs, Real Betis, in recent times, with the Andalusian side having looked into his signing both this summer and the year prior.

He made 43 appearances for Los Verdiblancos between 2017 and 2019 before sealing a move to the Nou Camp, where he called the iconic Lionel Messi a teammate for two seasons before moving on to Leeds.

As a result, Firpo would be more oriented towards a return to Spain if he were to leave Leeds, and a switch to LaLiga cannot be ruled out if the two parties do not come to an arrangement over an extension at Elland Road.

Any decision on his future, though, will be put on ice for the next few weeks, with the player waiting to see how the first part of the season with Leeds goes.

However, the player has thrived since recovering from injury at the start of the year and now boasts 11 assists across the calendar year for club and country.

Having also recently committed his international future to the Dominican Republic, the 28-year-old was recently used in an unorthodox striker’s role for the Caribbean nation.

Farke knows player’s importance to Leeds

Farke himself certainly knows the player’s value, telling the Yorkshire Evening Post back in July why he feels Firpo is an “outstanding” talent at this level.

“I never made a secret out of it that I think that Junior Firpo on this level is an outstanding full-back, with his experience, with his technical ability, with his strength going forward.

“He is able to assist, he is able to score. He showed this again in this little bit more advanced role which I think also suits him a little bit. He is one of the more experienced lads in my group and for that he is also a key player in my thoughts of going forward. Of course he will be important.”

And while Leeds signed cover and competition on transfer deadline day in the form of Swiss star Isaac Schmidt for a fee that could rise to £4.5m (€5.3m / $5.9m), Firpo is seen as very much a first-choice player at Leeds and it will be a surprise if Farke willingly replaces him in the line-up any time soon.

Another player who could potentially cover there is Max Wober, with the Austrian defender primarily seen as a centre-half but also capable of playing at left-back if needed.

However, the defender has this week been linked with a surprise move away from Elland Road with the most controversial of transfers mooted for the 26-year-old Wober.

Junior Firpo career timeline

• February 2018 – After coming through the academy at Real Betis, Firpo made his first-team debut in an away game against Deportivo La Coruna.
• He helped his side secure a 1-0 win and became the first Dominican Republic-born player to feature in La Liga.
• March 2018 – The left-back scored his first goal for Real Betis in his seventh first-team appearance, netting the opener in a 3-0 win over Espanyol.
• June 2019 – Firpo represented Spain at Under-21 level and played the full 90 minutes in the final of the 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship as Spain beat Germany 2-1.
• August 2019 – His impressive performances for Real Betis and Spain’s Under-21 attracted interest from a number of clubs.
• He signed a five-year contract with Barcelona after they agreed to pay an initial £16.3million and another £11.2million in potential add-ons.
• The defender made his debut for Barcelona against his former club, coming off the bench for the final nine minutes in a 5-2 win at the Nou Camp.
• November 2019 – Firpo played in the Europa League for Real Betis but he made his Champions League debut while playing for Barcelona.
• His first appearance in the competition saw him play the full 90 minutes in a 3-1 group stage win over Borussia Dortmund at the Nou Camp.
• July 2021 – After struggling to usurp Jordi Alba as the first-choice left-back, Firpo decided to leave Barcelona at the end of the 2020/21 season.
• He joined Leeds United in a deal worth £12.8million and put pen to paper on a four-year contract at Elland Road.
• January 2023 – The left-back scored his first goal for Leeds in a 3-1 win over Accrington Stanley in the fourth round of the FA Cup in 2022/23.
• February 2023 – Firpo netted his first Premier League goal a few weeks later, scoring the winner in a 1-0 win over Southampton at Elland Road.
• March 2024 – He switched his international allegiance in order to represent the Dominican Republic, who are the country of his birth.
• The left-back made his senior international debut in a friendly against Aruba and helped his country to a 2-0 win.