Southampton are in talks to sign Barcelona left-back Junior Firpo, according to Sport via Sport Witness.

What's the latest news on Junior Firpo?

Barcelona are believed to be hopeful that they can offload Firpo to an English club this summer, and Southampton have reportedly entered into negotiations with them about bringing the defender to the South Coast.

The two clubs have been "talking for days" and it is understood that they are "quite close" to reaching an agreement for the player.

How much would Firpo cost?

The Catalan giants are demanding €16m (£13.8m) plus bonuses for the 24-year-old, and this is the minimum figure that they need so that they do not record a loss on the player.

It has been claimed that other interested parties are willing to pay this fee for Firpo, whose contract at the Nou Camp runs until 2024, signalling that Southampton will likely have to match Barcelona's asking price or risk missing out on the defender to another side.

What are Firpo's stats this season?

Firpo has been largely out of favour this year at Barcelona, featuring in just 18 matches for Ronald Koeman's men. Only seven of those appearances have come in La Liga, as he has largely had to play second fiddle to Jordi Alba.

When he has played, Firpo has registered one goal and one assist in the league, and his use of the ball has been particularly impressive.

According to WhoScored, his pass success rate was up at 89.7% in 2020/21. Michael Obafemi, who only played 57 minutes for Southampton during the season, is the only Saints player to register a higher percentage than this.

Is Firpo the perfect replacement for Ryan Bertrand?

Losing Ryan Bertand this summer is a blow for Southampton, as the former Chelsea man has been a steadying influence at left-back over the last seven years at St Mary's.

Still, the England international is now 31, and it is time for Ralph Hasenhuttl to look to the future. With Firpo in his side, it would promise to be a bright one.

Firpo may have struggled for game time this year, but he has made 62 La Liga appearances during his career, meaning that he has sufficient experience playing in a top European league.

He is also only 24, so the best years of his career should be ahead of him. While Bertrand was on the decline this season - he received his lowest average game rating of his career across a full campaign from WhoScored - Firpo should only get better moving forwards.

Firpo will want to prove that he belongs at the highest level, having had to watch on from the sidelines for much of this year, and Southampton themselves need to show what they are truly capable of in 2021/22 after falling away badly in the second half of the season.

There ought to be plenty of hunger to prove the doubters wrong moving into next year, and that is why Firpo would be the perfect fit to pick up where Bertrand left off and help show that Southampton can be a force to be reckoned with.