Barcelona contract rebel Ilaix Moriba has been issued a warning by club president Joan Laporta amid a standoff over a new deal.
Barcelona are already in a bit of a bothersome position, as far as the state of their finances as well as the squad are concerned. In such a scenario, a contract standoff between a promising youngster and the club is hardly ideal for the Catalan giants, especially at a time when they cannot afford to make too many signings.
Such a situation is indeed brewing at Camp Nou, with Ilaix Moriba at an impasse over the terms of a new contract. With his current deal running out next summer, Barcelona need to take a definitive decision over the future of the talented teenager, and that seems to be the case as per the comments of club president Joan Laporta.
Speaking on the situation, as quoted by Fabrizio Romano, Laporta said, “If you do not want to renew, we have other solutions. What we don’t want are players made at La Masia who don’t want to renew. The club is above all. We cannot allow him to be promoted [to the first-team] and then leave. We won’t accept that with any player. If he wants to go and it’s because he has other options, he can leave the club.”
Moriba’s situation has become quite ugly in recent weeks, with the 18-year-old not allowed to travel with the first-team for their pre-season campaign. In addition, it has also been speculated that after being sent back to Barcelona B, he will not be allowed to feature at all for the team if he does not commit his future to the Catalan giants.
The teenage prodigy does not have any shortage of suitors either, with Chelsea and Manchester City among the clubs hot on his trails. As per Fabrizio Romano, Barcelona are fearful that Moriba is indeed courting interest from Premier League clubs.
Interestingly, the 18-year-old has also been linked with Real Madrid, who will launch the offensive for him if he runs his contract down in the coming season. Having said that, in the wake of the warning issues by Laporta, it will be interesting to see if Moriba chooses to put pen to a long-term contract at Barcelona or if his time at Camp Nou is up.
