Chelsea and RB Leipzig in race for Barcelona's Moriba
Chelsea have been considering an offer all summer, but it's come down to the decisive moments now
You would have heard Chelsea’s name mentioned with Ilaix Moriba of Barcelona a number of times this summer, we even ran a report on it a few weeks back.
He is a player that Chelsea have been considering all summer, due to his desire to leave Barcelona.
His club are asking for more than £16m for him but Chelsea were not keen to pay so much for a youth player. However, they still have a strong interest and they could move to bring him in before the window closes.
According to a Spanish source close to the situation, Chelsea are behind RB Leipzig in the race to sign Moriba right now, with the German side the more serious of the two clubs.
Chelsea haven’t made an offer for the 18-year old midfielder as of yet, but his contract situation at Barcelona means they believe there might be a bargain to be had here and they have been in contact with his reps as a result.
Moriba has rejected a new contract with the Catalan club, but as I say at the moment it is Leipzig who are looking more likely to pounce, per Spanish sources.
It will be very interesting to see if, or how this one develops in the coming days.
Simon Phillips