Leeds United must make a choice on Junior Firpo, who has only 12 months remaining on his contract.
Firpo is now in the final year of his four-year contract at Elland Road, having joined from Real Betis in the summer of 2021, and his time in West Yorkshire has been up and down.
He had his greatest run in the side last season from January onwards, contributing eight assists and demonstrating his talents as one of the best left-backs in the Championship.
Daniel Farke will be looking for continuity in his squad for the upcoming season, and keeping Firpo would provide that, especially with previous loanee Joe Rodon returning to the club.
However, considering Leeds’ failure to earn promotion, the likelihood that Firpo would leave 12 months ago, and his contract predicament, all signs lead to his departure.
Leeds make an important decision on Firpo.
Firpo has had two poor pre-seasons in the last two years, forcing him to play catch-up on his fitness.
Firpo suffered a knee injury in an early-summer friendly against Blackpool in 2022, keeping him out of play until October. Last year, his first start of the season came in late November due to a similar issue.
And, for the third year in a row, Firpo does not appear to be having a pre-season in Leeds, this time for a different reason.
Firpo has been named to the Dominican Republic roster for the forthcoming Olympic games, which begin on July 24. That is despite the fact that teams are not required to release players for the event because it falls outside of an official international football window, according to FIFA rules.
The 27-year-old is already scheduled to return later than the majority of the squad after been away on international duty last month, but it would be surprising to see him in pre-season at all.
His decision to come to Paris for the Olympics is all the more striking given that Leeds blocked Mateo Joseph from representing Spain.
Clearly, Leeds want Joseph to join the club for pre-season ahead of a potentially massive breakout season. Firpo is someone they have other thoughts about.
Firpo is unlikely to be given a new agreement by Leeds
Leeds are ready to announce their first important sale of the summer today, with Archie Gray signing a contract to join Tottenham.
However, he is unlikely to be the only one, as rumors say Firpo is someone they want to move on from, which would be consistent with their choice regarding his Olympics participation.
As previously stated, he has only one year left on his contract, and it is unlikely that he would be offered new terms.
That means Leeds has one last chance to obtain a fee for him this summer, as he will be available for free transfer next year.
