According to a report by Spanish outlet Sport, via Sport Witness, West Ham United are now in talks to ‘finalise an agreement’ for Barcelona defender Junior Firpo after speaking with the club for days.

The Lowdown: Firpo and the Hammers...

The 24-year-old has been linked sporadically to West Ham since as far back as January, with reliable club insider ExWHUemployee claiming that he was a possible loan option mid-way through the 2020/2021 season (Patreon).

Last month, those links emerged again when Mundo Deportivo touted West Ham as one of the many interested clubs alongside the likes of Inter Milan, AC Milan, Roma and Naples in Italy.

The Latest: Huge Firpo claim...

Now, in quite the claim, Sport (via Sport Witness) believe that West Ham talks are at a fairly advanced stage already for the full-back.

[web_stories_embed url="https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-latest-news/" title="West Ham latest news!" poster="" width="360" height="600" align="none"]

Indeed, the outlet says that GSB and the Hammers have been in negotiations with Barcelona for days to 'finalise an agreement’ to sign Firpo.

It is also claimed that the two parties are 'quite close' to shaking hands on terms but the La Liga giants will need a minimum €16m (£13.8m) before selling.

If the player himself gives the approval for a summer move away from Camp Nou, Barcelona believe they can recuperate this asking price.

The Verdict: Interesting...

Since enjoying a consistent 2018/2019 season with former club Real Betis, where he started 22 La Liga matches, it's safe to say things haven't gone to plan since his move to Barca.

Indeed, Firpo has been handed the nod just 24 times in two years domestically for the Catalans (WhoScored), and now might be the time to move on.

West Ham could offer him a way out and while his game time has been limited, there are reasons to complete this agreement.

Described as a player with 'a lot of potential, quality and the ability of being in the right place' by former teammate Marc Bartra (Marca), Firpo may come as a relatively cheap option to solidify David Moyes' full-back options, and he still has plenty of years ahead of him to improve.

In other news: West Ham insider drops exciting Jesse Lingard claim, find out more here.