Fresh agent claim made as Junior Firpo’s Leeds United exit takes new twist | OneFootball

Reports in the Italian media suggest that Junior Firpo's agency have met with Lazio about a potential deal to take the Leeds defender to Rome.

Reports in the Italian media are suggesting that Serie A giants Lazio have identified Leeds United defender Junior Firpo as a potential summer transfer target.

According to reports from Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport on the 17 May, there could be another name about to enter the fray in the chase to sign the Leeds United defender.

Leeds have just celebrated promotion to the Premier League following a two-year absence, but Firpo is out of contract at the end of this season and is attracting interest from other clubs, both domestically and abroad.

Firpo joined Leeds for £12.8m from Barcelona in 2021.

Italian media reports that Junior Firpo's agency reps have met with Italian giants

According to reporting in the Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport on the 17 May, Lazio have identified Firpo as a potential target for this summer.

Representatives from Firpo's agency, You First, with whom he first signed in February, are reported to have met with representatives from Lazio in Formello on the 15th May, including sporting director Angelo Fabiani.

They state that Firpo "hasn't ruled out playing in Italy after playing in La Liga and the Premier League".

They do also confirm that there will be competition for his signature. "It is not ruled out that he could return to Blaugrana, even if Alejandro Balde and Gerard Martin already play in his role", they say of the possibility of Leeds' Dominican Republic international returning to his previous club, while they also add that, "his name has also been linked to Atlético Madrid and Milan."

Lazio may be able to offer Firpo Champions League football next season

With two games to play in Serie A this season ahead of this weekend's fixtures, the race for a Champions League place is hotting up.

With three of them already occupied, just two points separate four clubs in an extremely tight chase for the fourth.

Lazio are in fifth place, tied on points with fourth-placed Juventus, with Roma one point behind them and Bologna two points behind.

Milan, the other Serie A club named as having an interest in Firpo, are in eigth place and can only realistically qualify for the Europa Conference League next season.

With two games of the season left to play, they're currently out of the European places altogether. Should the table remain as it stands, Lazio would be in next year's Europa League.

With no transfer fee payable for the player, his wages will be the important negotiating point. Capology estimates Firpo's base salary at Leeds to have been £60,000 per week.

But what a club can offer a player beyond money also matters, and if Lazio can secure a return to the Champions League for next season, it would considerably strengthen their hand in negotiations with the player, though it should also be pointed out that the other club mentioned, Atlético Madrid, have already qualified for next year's Champions League as well.