Ilaix Moriba has complete the move to Bundesliga giants RB Leipzig, who have signed him on a five-year contract, with Barcelona receiving €16 million for him.
Barcelona have made an official statement to confirm that they have reached an agreement with RB Leipzig for the transfer of Ilaix Moriba. The 18-year-old midfielder has reportedly put pen to a five-year contract with the Bundesliga giants, with Barcelona receiving a base fee of €16 million for him, with an addition €6 million being bonus payments.
Ilaix Moriba is bringing an end to an over decade-long stint with Barcelona, having joined the club’s famed La Masia academy in 2010 from Espanyol. The teenage prodigy ended up being a rare youth star to feature fairly regularly for the Blaugrana, making 18 first-team appearances for the Barcelona first-team while chipping in with a goal and three assists in the process.
However, Moriba’s time at Barcelona effectively came to an end at the onset of the summer transfer window, when he was banished to the reserves owing to an impasse with the Catalan club over the terms of a renewal. With his deal slated to end next summer, Barcelona were desperate to offload him, although they remained adamant on their valuation.
The 18-year-old, though, had no shortage of suitors in his pursuit, with the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United all being linked with him initially. Of late, Tottenham had also emerged in his pursuit, with reports even claiming that Spurs had agreed personal terms with the Barcelona contract rebel.
Welcome to Leipzig, @IlaixMK! ?#HereWeGoMoriba #DeadlineDay pic.twitter.com/ml1cRgt1tC
— RB Leipzig English (@RBLeipzig_EN) August 31, 2021
However, RB Leipzig swooped in at the eleventh hour, making enough of an impression to quickly win the race to sign Moriba. The move has now been completed, with Barcelona receiving a base fee of €16 million for the talented midfielder, with an additional €6 million taking the form of variable payments if certain conditions are met.
Moriba has, as per Fabrizio Romano, signed a five-year contract with the Bundesliga giants, who were indeed in need of signing a midfielder following Marcel Sabitzer’s move to Bayern Munich. As a result, it had become imperative for Leipzig to sign a replacement, with Moriba possibly being a long-term successor for the erstwhile captain.
Barcelona’s official statement also mentions that they reserve the right to 10 percent of any future sale of the 18-year-old. So, with that, a dirty saga has come to an end at Camp Nou, with Ilaix Moriba making his way to RB Leipzig. It will be interesting to see if he has what it takes to be the long-term replacement for Sabitzer.
