Report: Barcelona signing Betis defender Junior Firpo for up to €25M

Barcelona closed a deal for Real Betis left-back Junior Firpo on Saturday for an initial €18 million, sources told ESPN's Sam Marsden and Moises Llorens.

The fee could rise to €25 million if certain bonuses are reached.

Junior is expected to become Barcelona's fourth signing of the summer after Frenkie de Jong, Antoine Griezmann, and Neto.

Although the 22-year-old holds a €40-million release clause, the Blaugrana were reportedly able to agree to more palatable terms.

Junior's impending arrival will give Jordi Alba some much-needed help at the left-back position. Without a natural substitute last season, the longtime Barcelona defender made an incredible 49 starts across all competitions.

The defending La Liga champions reportedly targeted Bayern Munich's David Alaba as potential relief, but negotiations never materialized.

Junior moved to Spain at a young age from the Dominican Republic, where he was born. He joined Betis in 2015, making 29 appearances for the club last season while scoring three goals in La Liga.

He also won the Euro Under-21 title with Spain in June, starting in four of La Roja's five matches in the competition.