Complicated Aston Villa deal could lead to Leeds United star's Elland Road exit | OneFootball

Junior Firpo is of interest to Real Betis.

Real Betis are keen on signing Leeds United's Junior Firpo.

That is according to Wednesday's (22nd January) print edition of ABC Sevilla, who believe that the Spaniard's former club are keen on re-signing him this month.

Firpo has long divided Whites fans since he signed for the Yorkshire-based side from Barcelona back in 2021.

This season, he has displayed excellent form when given the chance to play, although he has only recently returned from an injury sustained against Derby County in December.

With his contract set to expire in the summer, this interest presents a difficult dilemma for Daniel Farke, who must decide whether to cash in on the defender this month or retain him, risking losing him for free in June.

Real Betis interested in Leeds' Firpo

With over 100 appearances for the Whites, Firpo is one of the more experienced players in the squad. However, he could be departing this month with Betis interested.

As detailed in the aforementioned report, the Spanish side have turned their attention to the 28-year-old.

According to ABC Sevilla, they were originally looking at Aston Villa's Alex Moreno, who is currently on loan at Premier League Nottingham Forest. This deal has been deemed "complicated" and a "high salary" is set to see Betis turn their attention elsewhere.

This is where Firpo comes into play, and with 43 appearances for the club, a potential deal for the left-back this January offers a more straightforward and reliable option.

January has been relatively quiet for Leeds, but if they were to sanction a departure for Firpo they would have to find suitable cover with Sam Byram and Isaac Schmidt not up to the same level as the Spaniard.

While they could wait until the summer, Los Verdiblancos want to sign him now rather than wait until his deal expires in June.

Daniel Farke discusses Junior Firpo

Junior Firpo was a topic of interest in the pre-match press conference for the game against Norwich City and Farke seemed fairly relaxed about the situation.

"Too many matches for that (contract talks) at the moment and also wanted him to concentrate on his rehab then finding his rhythm back," the Whites boss said to Leeds Live.

"January (is) not the time to speak about this. Recruitment is pretty busy. There will be more relaxed times during the season to speak about it."

Based on this update, the head coach seems reluctant to enter any talks about Firpo's future at the club and this could prompt Betis to submit an offer.

Either way, there is a potential for the Leeds number three to depart, either now or in the summer, and with the Whites' promotion hopes at stake, it would be in their best interest to retain the 28-year-old this month.