Barcelona’s preseason is set to start on Monday with a number of players from the academy set to take part. However, there is going to be one notable absentee.
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According to Sport, Ilaix Moriba is not expected to join the team’s preseason as a form of punishment for not yet agreeing to a contract extension. He is set to do preseason with Barça B as a way to add a bit of pressure in getting him to agree on a new deal.
From the club’s point of view, they are hoping that his representatives can take into account the financial situation the Catalans find themselves in and lower their economic demands.
The player’s Barcelona future now very much in doubt
Mundo Deportivo reports that the move is strictly political and that they want the player to renew. But their decision has come as a disappointing surprise to his camp.
Moriba had seemed open to renewal during the initial talks. He had apparently turned down offers in the past from the likes of Manchester City in order to stay and succeed at Barcelona.
While negotiations were positive early on, little to no progress has been made since. Those involved are claiming they’ve only received one proposal from the club so far.
Everything indicates that Moriba wants to stay as earned the trust of manager Ronald Koeman last season and became an important part of his set-up. While he may not have been a starter this season, he was likely to still get a lot of playing time under Koeman. In essence, the ball is in his court.
Losing Moriba is not something the club want but they are going to need to come to a resolution sooner rather than later. If they cannot come to an agreement then the likely outcome is Moriba would have to be sold rather than risk letting his contract run down and losing him as a free agent.
Should Barcelona come to the conclusion they need to move him on, there will be no shortage of top European sides interested in the 18-year-old midfielder.