Barcelona starlet Ilaix Moriba is not available for the pre-season and will not be a part of the first team until a new contract is penned, reports Mundo Deportivo. The club released a list of players that will undergo medicals before the pre-season, and Moriba has been omitted from the list.
What exactly is the scenario?
After breaking out in the first team, Moriba’s contract extension has been a major talking point. The club has already expressed its interest in renewing the youngster’s contract and negotiations are still going on between the player’s representatives and the club.
With the negotiations going on and the club interested to sign the player, the player was confident of making it to the pre-season line-up. However, the club’s decision to not include Moriba has surprised the player’s environment.
The contract extension issue is known to be purely ‘political’, and nothing significant in sporting terms. Moreover, Barcelona’s restrictions regarding player wages have only made the situation complicated.
Who are the players included in the pre-season squad?
The squad called for medical includes a mix of first-team and Barça B players. Ter Stegen, Dest, Piqué, Pjanić, O. Dembélé, Riqui Puig, Neto, Coutinho, S. Roberto , Ansu Fati and Umtiti are the regulars included in the traveling team. Other players, including Lionel Messi, are omitted due to international duty for the time being.
The subsidiaries include Monchu, Ilias, Gavi, Comas, Ramos Mingo, Nico, Arnau Tenas, Álex Collado, Yusuf Demir and Iñaki Peña.
What will happen now?
Ilaix Moriba has now two options, either to renew with the offer that Barcelona have presented or to get a transfer. With a year left and now after the omission, he’ll have to renew in order to be on Koeman’s side. With sporting terms never on doubt, he’s more in that out as of now.
