Barcelona youngster Ilaix Moriba attracting interest from Manchester United and RB Leipzig

According to Mundo Deportivo, Manchester United and RB Leipzig are interested in signing Barcelona teenager Ilaix Moriba. The 18-year-old contract expires next year and he could leave Barcelona as a free agent.

The Spaniard's contract runs till 2022 and he has a buy-out clause of €100M. Moriba's agent is his father, who has said the youngster has no intention of leaving Barcelona at the moment.

However, reports have claimed Manchester United and RB Leipzig still retain an interest in Moriba as a potential lack of playing time could see the teenager depart the Camp Nou outfit.

Moriba has also received interest from other teams, namely Juventus and Manchester City, who tried to sign him in 2019 as his youth contract ran to an end. Chelsea are also believed to be interested in signing the Barcelona talent but Manchester United and Leipzig seem to be the keenest on Moriba.

Ilaix Moriba's 2020/2021 La Liga season so far:- 127 minutes played (1.4 90s)- 1 Goal- 1 Assist- 76 Passes completed/90- 92% Passing accuracy- 1.43 Key Passes/90- 16.4 Passes made while under pressure from opponent/90- 2.86 Tackles/90Tiny sample but an impressive one! pic.twitter.com/rzW76ST6cd

— FutureCentro (@FutureCentro) March 17, 2021

Paul Pogba is expected to leave Manchester United at the end of the season and Moriba could be brought in to fill the gap, especially after drawing comparisons with the Frenchman due to their similar playing styles.

RB Leipzig's Julian Nagelsmann also has a track record of recruiting some of the world's best talent for the German side, hence their interest in Moriba.

Moriba was close to leaving Barcelona in 2019

Ilaix Moriba (L) for Barcelona

Moriba's father Mamady has confirmed that the teenager was on the verge of a move to the Premier League in 2019. Moriba was on course to sign for Manchester City. However, positive talks with Barcelona halted the move.

"We met with Txiki Begiristain [City's sporting director] and he explained his entire project to us," Kourouma said.

"We liked it because they bet a lot on him. A few weeks later we had tickets to travel to Manchester and sign the contract."

"I cancelled it the morning that we had to go there. I wanted Ilaix to be an example and a reference for the next generations of Barcelona."

''We managed to reach an agreement where we all came out winning."

Moriba is a La Masia graduate and made his senior debut for Barcelona this campaign, starting for the Spanish giants in their Round of 32 Copa del Rey tie against UE Cornella in January.

He made his league debut the following month, coming on as a substitute in Barcelona's 5-1 win over Deportivo Alaves. Moriba scored his first goal for Barcelona earlier this month in a 2-0 win over Osasuna.

❗Young Ilaix Moriba has played 116 minutes in the last 5 matches.• He has surpassed Miralem Pjanić and Riqui Puig and has become Koeman's 4th midfielder behind Frenkie De Jong, Sergio Busquets and Pedri.#FCB 🇪🇸Via: @sport pic.twitter.com/t0kAt7UEgJ

— Barça Buzz (@Barca_Buzz) March 18, 2021

The 18-year-old is highly rated by Barcelona with Lionel Messi reported to have taken the young Spaniard under his wing. It is therefore expected that Barcelona will do all they can to see Moriba commit his future to the club.