Barcelona take tough stance with Ilaix Moriba
Barcelona president Joan Laporta is apparently running out of patience in an effort to get the club’s situation under control.
Heading into the summer, everyone was aware of the task ahead and that difficult decisions were going to have to be made. Initially, it was assumed those decisions would revolve around players the club wanted to sell. That is no longer the case.
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The Barcelona-Moriba situation takes a rather unfortunate turn
Barcelona has issued an ultimatum to Ilaix Moriba. The midfielder is currently in the middle of a contract negotiation as his current deal expires in 2022.
With an agreement yet to be reached, the club is prepared to take drastic action to entice Moriba to sign a new deal.
According to Sport, that action is to threaten him with a severe demotion if he does not sign. In effect, either he inks a new contract or he will be sent down to play with the Juvenil team, which is a level down from Barça B.
Moriba was supposed to take part in preseason training with the first team but was left out because he had not signed an extension. Now he may not even feature with Barça B.
Whether or not trying to exert that kind of pressure on an 18-year-old will work out remains to be seen.
His camp was surprised at the position taken by the club when he was left out of preseason training with the senior team and will likely be more surprised by the latest development.
Moriba’s representatives did meet with Barcelona earlier in the week to discuss a new contract but nothing came of it. They are set to meet again with the hope of reaching a resolution.
Manager Ronald Koeman gave Moriba his debut last season and became an important player him. He was given opportunities over others like Riqui Puig and Miralem Pjanić.
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If Barcelona’s stance does not work, they may be forced to sell him to avoid losing him after his contract expires. Given his trajectory and potential, if it comes to that, there won’t be a shortage of suitors.