Reports: Barcelona planning to loan Junior Firpo to Inter Milan in January
Barcelona are reportedly set to loan out left-back Junior Firpo to Inter Milan when the winter transfer window opens.
The Blaugrana are eager to reduce their wage bill in light of the current financial crisis they are facing, and player sales represent a viable means to reduce costs.
Fringe players could be offloaded in the coming months to raise funds for potential transfer targets, and Junior Firpo is all but certain to depart the club in January.
A report by Spanish outlet Sport states that Inter Milan are set to rekindle their interest in Firpo, having initially planned to include him in the deal to take Lautaro Martinez to Barcelona only for the deal to fall through.
The report further states that an initial loan deal with an option to buy has been proposed but the Nerrazzurri would face competition from fellow Serie A sides Napoli and Atalanta, who are also in the market for a left-back.
In the past, Firpo starred for Real Betis, and it was his spectacular performance in a 4-3 victory at Camp Nou that set the wheels in motion for him to complete his move to Barcelona in August 2019.
The 24-year-old was ostensibly signed to provide cover for Jordi Alba on the left flank of defence but things have hardly gone to plan for Firpo.
In 18 months at Camp Nou, he has made just 18 La Liga appearances for the Blaugrana and appears to not have a future at the club under Ronald Koeman.
A transfer to Inter Milan could, thus, rejuvenate his career, and Barcelona could make do with the funds saved from his wages as well as the fee from a potential transfer.
Upcoming presidential elections to hand Barcelona lifeline in what has been a poor campaign
The resignation of former Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu and his board plunged the club deeper into crisis, prompting election dates to be moved forward to January.
In the meantime, a transitional committee has been overseeing the daily running of the club but the committee is limited in the powers they can exert.
Only the election of a president can steer the club in the direction they need to go but the new man at the helm would inherit a club that is facing both a sporting and institutional crisis.
The financial predicament is of top-most priority. Sorting out transfer targets as well as the Messi contract situation are also key for the incoming president.