Barcelona midfielder Ilaix Moriba is set to endure the worst possible start to his promising career as the 18-year-old looks likely to spend the entire season on the bench after failing to reach an agreement with the Blaugrana over his contract renewal.
Moriba’s current contract expires next summer, following which the Guinean would be free to leave as a free agent. The 18-year-old has got only until Tuesday to find himself a new club with RB Leipzig and Tottenham Hotspur said to be interested in signing him.
Bundesliga side do want to sign Moriba but Barcelona’s asking price of 20 million euros is proving to be a stumbling block. On the other hand, Italian media outlet Calciomercato understands that the negotiations between Barca and Spurs are at an “advanced stage”.
Should the move to either Tottenham or RB Leipzig fail, Moriba will spend the entire ongoing season in the stands as Barcelona have been very firm in their stance when it comes to asking players to take pay-cuts, lieu of the ongoing financial crisis of the Catalan club.
Joan Laporta-led Barca board do not have any intentions to cave into Moriba’s demands. The player is said to be disappointed with the club’s handling of the situation and the turn for the worse that the entire situation has taken in recent weeks.
Barcelona head coach Ronald Koeman also addressed the situation this past week with the former Dutch manager terming the standoff between the player and the club as “horrible”.
“I spoke with him two or three weeks ago. More as a person than as a coach. His (Moriba’s) situation is horrible”,
“My advice is that money is not the most important thing at this stage of his career. It is playing games. I am very disappointed because it is not the most important thing.”
he stated as per reports from Marca.
