Barcelona move further away from Wijnaldum signing

The time of Barcelona trusting in their academy players may be back as reports claim the club are close to foregoing a potential signing.

The club is close to discarding the signing of Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum thanks to the emergence of Ilaix Moriba.

More from Everything Barca

• FC Barcelona tracking Belgian Wonderkid
• FC Barcelona vs Betis Player Ratings
• Barça boss Xavi to get contract extension
• FC Barcelona planning swoop for Arsenal midfielder
• Barcelona interested in €30 million wonderkid

According to Sport, Wijnaldum is no longer considered a priority by Ronald Koeman despite the player being wanted by the Dutchman for the better part of the season.

The good performances put in by Moriba has all but closed the doors for Wijnaldum. The 18-year-old ticks all the boxes that Koeman is looking for. He’s younger than Wijnaldum and already understands the style of play.

One of the reasons the rumors of Wijnaldum to Barcelona persist has to do with the fact that he has yet to sign a contract extension with Liverpool.

His contract ends in the summer and could have been signed without a transfer fee needing to be paid.

The fact that Barcelona are betting on Moriba is good news both for him and for La Masia moving forward.

It is a sign that things are being done well in the academy and that those players do have the talent to be able to succeed in the first team. Moriba has proven that so far and has jumped ahead of Riqui Puig and Miralem Pjanic in the depth chart.

By trusting in homegrown players, it also allows Barcelona to divert the funds they would have spent on Wijnaldum to other priorities.

The midfield is an area the club has well covered. It’s other areas like the defense and a striker that are a priority. Especially a striker given their 1-1 draw against PSG.

Moriba, alongside a few others, has once again proven that the academy players will come through for Barcelona. All they need is an opportunity.