Mundo Deportivo have claimed that Barcelona have asked Tottenham to pay €20m (£17.1m) to sign midfielder Ilaix Moriba this summer.
Moriba, who came through the ranks at La Masia, made his first-team debut for Barca back in January and went on to make 18 appearances for the club last season.
The teenager certainly did not out of place for Ronald Koeman’s side as he impressed with his engine and technical quality in a box-to-box role
The Guinea international has allegedly been frozen out by Koeman this season after failing to agree a contract extension with the Catalan giants.
Moriba is now into the final 12 months of his contract at the Camp Now and reports emerged earlier this week that Spurs had held talks with the midfielder’s representatives regarding a transfer.
Mundo Deportivo have now revealed that Barca expect Tottenham to ‘come close’ to meeting their £17m asking price for Moriba in the coming hours.
However, it is explained that the only potential hiccup for Spurs in their pursuit of the teenager is the fact that he has already agreed on personal terms with RB Leipzig.
MORE SPURS STORIES
The players’ representatives are now thought to be studying whether it is possible to ‘reverse the agreement’ with the Bundesliga club.
Spurs Web Opinion
While Moriba seems to be a fabulous talent, I do have reservations about signing an 18-year-old, who already seems to be prioritising his salary over his career pathway.
Hopefully, Paratici and co have done due diligence on the midfielder’s attitude as that is often just as important a factor as a player’s talent in helping them have a solid career at the top level.
Keep up to date with all the latest Tottenham news and opinion by following SpursWeb’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.