Barcelona starlet Iliax Moriba’s future continues to be a matter of speculation. The 18-year-old broke into the first team last term and soon established himself as a regular. Needless to say, the club wants to tie down the player for years to come, with only one year left in his current deal.
The talks to extend Moriba’s contract have been ongoing for a while now and neither of the involved parties are willing to stand down, Barcelona rightly so. The 18-year-old is at the start of his career and is said to be demanding around £6 million/year.
The demands are not acceptable to the club who will have no choice but to sell him this summer if Moriba refuses to sign a new contract. If he cannot be sold, he is likely to remain on the sidelines for the entire season next term before leaving for free.
A report from the Spanish publication, Sport indicates that there is a visible tension between Moriba and Barcelona who have left him out of the Barcelona B pre-season friendlies as well.
Barcelona are clear on their stance of not fielding the 18-year-old unless he signs a new contract. The midfielder’s representative agency has been receiving a lot of flak for their demands and further clarity on the situation is likely to be obtained before the Joan Gamper Trophy on August 8.
Moriba has drawn interest from the Premier League though. Manchester City and Chelsea are said to be interested in signing the 18-year-old with the Blues said to be offering ‘double the wages’ to the 18-year-old. In short, the former La Liga champions will have enough offers on the table should they decide to sell the midfielder this summer.
Barcelona are currently in the middle of a financial crisis and the 18-year-old’s demands can be deemed unrespectful to the club, the president and their current situation.
Barcelona will hope to resolve the issue soon enough, before the start of their new season as they appear keen to keep a hold of their prospect. For now though, the situation looks more complicated than it appears and the player will hope for a quick resolution as well, who will be left out of Barcelona’s plans for the next season should the current situation remain as it is.
