Wonderkid opens the door to Man United after release clause demand

Posted Saturday, March 13, 2021 by Caughtoffside.com

Release clauses at the biggest clubs tend to be set to ridiculous levels after Neymar went to PSG, but we might be seeing some signs of players fighting back.

Traditionally they were supposed to be around a player’s market value and it gave them a chance to move on if a suitable offer comes in, so it’s interesting to see an ESPN report on Barcelona wonderkid Iliax Moriba.

He’s still breaking into the first team but it genuinely looks like he’s going to be the latest star to come through the Academy, but there’s an issue where his contract expires next summer.

Barca simply cannot allow him to leave for free so they need to get something sorted soon, and it’s suggested that he’s refusing to allow his release clause to go above €150m.

His reasoning behind this is he wants to have the option to leave if he becomes a megastar and other clubs are interested, so it may be news that interests Man United fans after they were linked to him in recent days.

Obviously this could be major news quite quickly if it stops a new deal being agreed and he’s available for a reduced price straight away, but it’s more likely that this will be a bigger issue in a few years.

Iliax Moriba celebrates with Lionel Messi

If he does become a world star and finances steadily recover then €150m will be seen as a reasonable price for someone like him, and if it’s the release clause then Barca won’t be able to stop it either.

It’s a wise move from Moriba as Barca are still in a rebuilding phase and he doesn’t want to be stuck there if they continue to suffer and he outgrows them, but it’s unlikely that he moves on for a couple of seasons at least.