Liverpool miss out on defensive target as Barcelona complete deal

Junior Firpo

Barcelona have won the race to sign Real Betis defender Junior Firpo, according to ESPN.

The La Liga champions will pay an initial £16.5m fee to land the left-back, but the deal could rise to £23m if potential add-ons become effective.

Firpo was previously a transfer target for Liverpool, who are looking for a back-up to Andy Robertson following Alberto Moreno's departure.

The 22-year-old is the club's fourth signing of the summer following the acquisitions of Antoine Griezmann, Neto and Frenkie de Jong. 

Firpo made 29 appearances for Betis last term, scoring three goals.

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Greg Lea

Greg Lea is a freelance football journalist who's filled in wherever FourFourTwo needs him since 2014. He became a Crystal Palace fan after watching a 1-0 loss to Port Vale in 1998, and once got on the scoresheet in a primary school game against Wilfried Zaha's Whitehorse Manor (an own goal in an 8-0 defeat).