BARCELONA, SPAIN - MAY 16: Ilaix Moriba of FC Barcelona competes for the ball with Carlos Dominguez Caceres of RC Celta during the La Liga Santander match between FC Barcelona and RC Celta at Camp Nou on May 16, 2021 in Barcelona, Spain. Sporting stadiums around Spain remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Pedro Salado/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
Ilaix Moriba has been banished to the Barcelona reserves and has been offered to a host of clubs and Liverpool are one of the clubs interested.
Now, 90Min reports that the Reds have been in talks with Ilaix Moriba and his representatives after being offered the midfielder’s services.
The report suggests that Liverpool have already held talks with Moriba’s agents while West Ham, Leicester, Wolves and Everton have also been offered his services.
When I covered the report initially on Sunday, I did say that I thought Liverpool should wait until 2022 to sign Moriba when his contract with Barcelona expires.
However, as I noted, this would not be ideal for the player as he has been banished to the reserves and should Liverpool decide to make a move for the ace, they can do so without selling.
Like with Jeremy Doku, non-homegrown rules do not apply to Ilaix Moriba due to him being 18 years old but while Liverpool need to sell Xherdan Shaqiri or Divock Origi to free up space, Moriba could come straight into the squad.
Following Georginio Wijnaldum’s move to PSG on a free transfer, Liverpool could still do with another body in midfield even with Harvey Elliott potentially staying with the Reds this season.
https://youtu.be/e603zhNazgY
Moriba is fantastic but I have doubts over whether he would get enough game time at Anfield to develop at the rate required to reach the heights he is expected to.
That said, Klopp and Pep Lijnders are world-class at developing young talent and if Moriba joined the Reds, he would only improve.
Barcelona want €20million to let Moriba go which is cheaper than any of the targets Liverpool have been linked with so far this summer.
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