Leeds United appear resigned to losing Junior Firpo ahead of their return to the Premier League this summer.
The left-back was excellent in their Championship title-winning campaign last time out, but with his contract due to expire imminently, it now looks increasingly likely that his future will lie away from Elland Road.
The Whites have tabled the offer of a new deal for their departing star, but with the Dominican Republic defender now thought to be in talks to return to Real Betis, his Leeds fate seems all but sealed.
He has seemingly had his eyes on Betis for the last few weeks, and now the West Yorkshire outfit appears to be preparing for life without him next term.
Leeds are lining up Alex Moreno as Firpo’s replacement
There can be no getting around the fact that losing Firpo is a huge blow for Leeds. No other Championship defender could match the 28-year-old’s tally of 10 assists, and his threat going forward was hugely important to Daniel Farke’s side throughout the season.
The former Barcelona man was also one of the division’s highest-scoring defenders, and while the standard of the Championship was arguably below his natural level, Firpo would surely have been capable of seamlessly making the step up next term.
Instead, Farke and Co. seem set to lose one of their most consistent and reliable performers, and to make matters worse, without receiving a single penny for his services.
Now, Leeds looks to have identified Aston Villa’s Alex Moreno as a potential successor to Firpo, with the second city outfit reportedly having quoted a price tag of £5 million for the 32-year-old, according to Alex Crook (10 June).
The Whites have been in contact with Villa over the possibility of signing Moreno, who would help to address some of their impending issues at left-back.
Leeds should ‘go all out’ to sign Moreno
Firpo’s imminent departure is made worse by the fact that Sam Byram could also be departing the club this summer.
As a result, Leeds must push hard to get Moreno through the door. Bolstering their options at left-back will become a key priority for Farke and the club hierarchy if Firpo’s exit does materialize, and there may be few better options than Moreno for £5m.
A former teammate of Firpo’s at Betis, the defender spent the 2024/25 campaign on loan at Nottingham Forest, where he made 15 appearances in the Premier League.
| League | Apps | Goals | Assists |
| La Liga 2 | 148 | 11 | 6 |
| La Liga | 146 | 6 | 13 |
| Premier League | 55 | 2 | 4 |
His stats since moving to England may not be anything particularly attractive, but the opportunity to sign a player with ample experience in two of the best leagues in the world for just £5m rarely arises, so Leeds should do everything in their power to capitalize on it.
Moreno would go some of the way to addressing the Whites’ lack of top-flight experience in the squad, as well as keeping their spending to a minimum.
Leeds will face a new issue in the form of PSR this season, so they must be mindful of how they can offset their spending at every opportunity.
By resolving their left-back issues for just £5m, that would potentially free up money that could be spent on crucial additions to the spine of the side.
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