Barcelona have reportedly slapped a price tag of €15-20 million on contract rebel Ilaix Moriba, who is attracting interest from German outfit RB Leipzig.
According to an update from ESPN’s Moises Llorens, Barcelona are set to demand a transfer fee of €15-20 million for midfield prodigy Ilaix Moriba, who is refusing to sign a new contract with the Catalans.
Moriba, 18, is a product of Barcelona’s famed La Masia youth setup. Regarded as one of the brightest young talents to have come through, the midfielder made his first-team debut in January earlier this year in a Copa del Rey clash.
From that point on, Moriba continued to gain more and more playing time under manager Ronald Koeman, eventually ending his breakthrough campaign with 18 appearances in which he scored one goal and set up three more. However, things have hit a rocky road ever since the club opened contract talks with the midfield prodigy.
Moriba is in the final year of his contract with Barcelona and has refused to accept the new deal that has been offered by the Catalan giants. The youngster is holding out for a higher pay packet than what has been tabled by the club currently, which has not gone down too well with the club.
Having exiled him from first-team training during the pre-season, Barcelona seem to have run out of patience and are willing to cash in on the midfielder while they can get some money from his sale instead of losing him on a free transfer a year down the line.
To that end, the Blaugrana have now slapped a price tag of €15-20 million on Moriba as they look to rake in the cash. While there have been constant links over a move to Premier League giants Chelsea, the aforementioned report from ESPN indicates that German Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig are also contenders for the 18-year-old midfield sensation.
Barcelona are facing turbulent times, what with the departure of former captain and superstar Lionel Messi and their inability to register their new signings due to the massively bloated wage bill.
At a time when they are looking to cut players like Miralem Pjanic and Samuel Umtiti from the squad, the development with regard to Moriba’s contract situation will certainly as unpleasant, given how highly he is rated within the club. But, it looks like Barcelona have decided to cut ties with the youngster and it now remains to be seen if a concrete offer arrives for him before the transfer window closes.
