Reports in Spain claim that Premier League giants Manchester City and Chelsea are ready to step up their interest in Barcelona’s youngster Ilaix Moriba.
The 18-year-old spent a decade at Barça youth after moving from Espanyol in 2010. He graduated from the Catalans’ B team in 2019 and was a standout player for 22 appearances. The terrible economic situation of the LaLiga giants has caused several young people to acquire an unexpected experience in the first team.
And Moriba was among the youth stars to win some senior action in 2020-2021. He made four starts among 14 league games, scoring his first goal in a 2-0 win over Osasuna on March 6.
The club has high hopes for the former Spain Under-17 star, but problems with his contract are mounting. The star’s contract expires next summer and Barça wants him to do so new pen terms.
He is said to have been offered a five-year contract, but he refuses to sign on the dotted line. Manchester United has already been linked while City and Chelsea are also believed to have an interest.
Mundo Deportivo reports that the Blues and Citizens are “willing to push hard” to get his signature this summer. And, with the Camp Nou team ‘running out of patience’, the duo have been encouraged.
Barcelona has responded by leaving him out of the preseason first team squad. It is believed to have a buyout clause of 100 million euros. However, that would be negotiable when entering the last 12 months of your contract.
Finance driving Moriba exit
Although most clubs in the world of football are under financial pressure, Barça is known to be fighting harder than most. They can no longer pay large sums of money to fringe players who may not contribute as much during the campaign.
Moriba falls into that category and their wage demands are said to be too high. The English trio would have no problems in that department and their head may be turned to the Premier League.
Born in Guinea, the West African nation, Moriba has been compared to United and France midfielder Paul Pogba. You have received tips for important things, but you may need to change clubs to progress.
He is open to debate whether he would see that much playing time in the Premier League trio. Everyone is busy recruiting and the teenager may be one for the future.
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