Tottenham Hotspur is the latest club vying for FC Barcelona midfielder Ilaix Moriba this transfer window, according to Mundo Deportivo.
After being spotted in London last weekend to meet with Chelsea to discuss a possible move to Stamford Bridge, Moriba might now be on his way to the Blues’ cross-town rival Tottenham. Spurs have reportedly agreed terms with Moriba, and all that remains is an official bid from the Premier League side.
Other clubs around Europe have reportedly been fighting for Moriba’s signature as well, including the likes of RB Leipzig, Manchester City, and Juventus.
Barcelona will accept any offer for Ilaix Moriba that meets the €20 million price the club is demanding for the player, who has fallen out of the first team.
The 18-year-old Guinean international broke into Barça’s first team under Koeman last season and was viewed as a future star for the Catalans after a successful campaign. With his contract set to expire in June 2022, the club made it a priority to resign Moriba this summer.
However, contract disagreements this spring between the club and player’s representatives, who demanded more than Barça was willing to offer, led to a falling out between the player and the club. Moriba decided not to resign for the Blaugrana, and therefore was demoted to Barça B by manager Ronald Koeman for this season.
Koeman was vocal about Moriba’s situation in a press conference on Aug. 20.
“He’s in a horrible situation, for me,” Koeman said. “He’s 18, he’s young, he’s had the chance to play in the first team and is the future of the club. But he’s now in a situation where he’s not going to play.”
He continued, saying, in essence, that money isn’t everything in football.
“I know what the club want to offer the player,” Koeman said. “My advice is that money isn’t the most important thing [at his age], it’s playing games. The player and his people think differently, and I’m disappointed with that. That’s not the most important thing.”
If an offer isn’t made for the midfielder prior to the Aug. 31 deadline of the summer transfer window, he will spend the rest of the 2021-22 season with Barça B. He will be able to leave the club for free next summer.
