Chelsea are reportedly in the driving seat to beat Manchester City to the punch and sign an upcoming Barcelona star already drawing comparisons with Paul Pogba.
Ilaix Moriba – who is just 16 – has a number of European football’s top clubs scrambling for his services this month, with the likes of Juventus and PSG also joining the Premier League duo in the hunt.
Moriba has come through Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy and is understood the club feel, if he continues his progress, could be considered for first-team action by next season.
But according to Sport, his future at the Nou Camp is far from secure and it is Chelsea who are in the driving seat to sign him and pin him down with a pro deal.
According to the Spanish publication, Chelsea have already met with Moriba’s agent and held positive talks – prompting the club, under the instruction of director Marina Granovskaia, to make a firm offer. The paper claims Chelsea’s offer is more lucrative to the youngster than what Barcelona and City have put on the table, meaning a switch to Stamford Bridge now seems most likely.
Sport believes Chelsea have offered the midfielder a much better package and have also informed his agent of how they see his path to the first team, even offering certain playing guarantees to his agent.
The paper claims a decision on Moriba’s future will be made in a matter of weeks, with the youngster set to decide whether to remain at the Nou Camp – or up sticks and move to London.
Chelsea don’t always have the best record of promoting youth, with another homegrown talent, Callum Hudson-Odoi currently heavily linked with a move to Bayern Munich.
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