Report: Arsenal Want Real Betis' Junior Firpo, Face Manchester City Competition

Arsenal are reportedly interested in signing Real Betis left-back Junior Firpo, although they are said to face competition from Manchester City.

According to AS (h/t Liam Prenderville of the Daily Mirror), the Gunners have been impressed by the 22-year-old this season and are in the market for a new left-back. 

However, it's added the player's agent is Pere Guardiola, the brother of City manager Pep, and that may pose a problem for the Gunners in their pursuit of Firpo. 

With Nacho Monreal's contract set to expire at the end of the season and Sead Kolasinac still finding his feet in the Premier League after signing from Schalke last summer, the Gunners will reportedly move to strengthen this facet of their defence.

Prenderville also notes that any purchase of Firpo is unlikely to be cheap, as he has a release clause of £43.5 million at the Estadio Benito Villamarin.

Firpo made his senior debut for Betis toward the end of the previous campaign and had an instant impression. He eventually started 14 games in a wing-back role, grabbing two goals and two assists, and his raids down the flank helped Betis to a shock sixth-place finish.

This season, he's established himself as a first-team regular and is becoming an important player in Quique Setien's team.

On Sunday, the full-back was part of the Betis team that earned a memorable 4-3 win over Barcelona at the Camp Nou, as he netted the opening goal in the victory, raiding down the left flank before cutting back inside and finishing.

Per OptaJose, the Betis man has a habit of bursting forward and getting himself into goalscoring positions:

For the likes of Arsenal and City, teams that love to attack in numbers, a player in Firpo's mould would be ideal; however, there are still some concerns about his defensive application. He's also been used as a wing-back for the majority of the campaign rather than an orthodox left-back.

He appears to be an ideal fit for the front-foot and aggressive brand of football Unai Emery is seeking to instil at the Emirates Stadium. City, meanwhile, have an excellent left-back on their books already in Benjamin Mendy, although Mark Ogden of ESPN FC reported the Frenchman was facing an "uncertain future" at the club after he reported three hours late for a treatment session.