Ilaix Moriba rejects Barcelona contract offer & could now be sold

Barcelona midfielder Ilaix Moriba looks increasingly likely to leave Camp Nou after rejecting the club’s offer of a new contract, president Joan Laporta has confirmed.

Barça have had high hopes for Moriba after he burst onto the scene in the second half of last season and made 18 appearances for the first-team, including four starts in La Liga.

However, the youngster’s current contract is due to expire in 2022 and he has informed the club that he doesn’t wish to sign a new one with the terms that are on the table.

“He has a year on his deal and doesn’t want to renew with the conditions offered by the club,” Laporta said as he explained the situation to the media.

“We have to send a message,” the president continued, hinting that Barça will refuse to bend over backwards to keep the 18-year-old. “He’s a great player but if he doesn’t renew there are other solutions. I feel bad but the club comes first.

"I ask him to reconsider and come to an agreement. I don’t understand why he doesn’t recognise what Barça have done for him.”

Laporta added that Moriba will be allowed to leave, but only if a club makes a suitable offer.

It was reported over the weekend that Barça have become ‘fed up’ of Moriba’s contract demands and have no intention of improving their offer to meet said demands, as Laporta has now alluded to.

Moriba has been left out of Barça’s pre-season trip to Germany and Austria, while it has been suggested that he will be excluded from first-team training until he signs the contract on offer.

Meanwhile, Barcelona and Lionel Messi have reached 'total agreement' over a new contract at Camp Nou.

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