Barcelona have reached yet another stalemate in negotiating a new contract with upcoming star Ilaix Moriba, according to Barca Blaugranes. Contract negotiations between Barcelona and Moriba’s agents have been well underway for weeks but the deal is still far from over at the moment.
Due to Barcelona’s economic woes, the deal is taking time to reach a conclusion. Moriba’s agents and the club are reportedly far from reaching common ground over wages and other clauses in the youngster’s contract. According to the aforementioned source, the agents are demanding high wages which Barcelona are not ready to offer to a 18-year-old.
Despite the lengthy negotiations, Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman wants the negotiations to conclude by the end of this week. However, the deal between Barcelona and Moriba is nowhere near being officially announced.
As far as the overall deal goes, Barcelona want Moriba to renew his contract while the midfielder also wants to stay at the Nou Camp for the foreseeable future. However, neither party seems ready to bow down to the other’s demands.
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Ilaix Moriba is banned from playing for Barcelona until he signs a new deal
According to a report from Football Espana, Ilaix Moriba will not be allowed to take part in any pre-season training or friendlies unless an agreement is reached over his new contract. This means that the 18-year-old midfielder cannot even play friendly games for Barcelona B.
The Catalan giants believe various Premier League clubs have shown interest in signing Ilaix Moriba this summer. However, Ronald Koeman wants the issue to be resolved as soon as possible so that the 18-year-old can take part in Barcelona’s pre-season. The Blaugrana have friendlies lined up against Girona, Gimnastic and Stuttgart ahead of the official league season.
Barcelona are in the midst of a financial crisis at the moment due to the ongoing global pandemic and years of mismanagement. The Catalan giants will also have to substantially reduce their wage budget to make room for Lionel Messi’s new deal.
In these difficult times, Barcelona president Joan Laporta has not entertained the idea of increased wages even for established players like Antoine Griezmann and Philippe Coutinho. Ilaix Moriba will seemingly have to make do with the wages Barcelona are offering him if he wishes to stay at the club.
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