Crystal Palace are hoping to bring Ilaix Moriba to the Premier League as Patrick Vieira holds talks with the £14 million RB Leipzig midfielder, as reported by Foot Mercato.
It is easy to forget, as Moriba was farmed out on loan to Valencia in January following a disastrous first few months in Germany, just how much of a coup he initially appeared for a Leipzig side renowned for unearthing football’s next generation of superstars.
Barcelona were devastated to lose one of their most exciting La Masia graduates since the iconic Pep Guardiola era, Moriba turning down a new deal at the Camp Nou before leaving under a cloud in 2022.
But suggestions that Leipzig are willing to let Moriba go already tell their own story.
Could Ilaix Moriba be reborn at Crystal Palace?
The teenager played just half an hour of Bundesliga football though, it must be said, he did show glimpses of real quality during his short-lived spell at the Mestalla.
According to Foot Mercato, Moriba’s next destination could be Selhurst Park. Vieira has reportedly ‘contacted’ the eight-time Guinea international already, with Crystal Palace looking for an energetic and technical central midfielder to slot in alongside Cheick Doucoure in the Eagles engine room.
Vieira might see something of himself in Moriba; An elegant yet imposing number eight.
“He’s physically very strong,” his former Barcelona coach Denis Silva Puig told Bleacher Report. “But he’s also a very intelligent player.
“Here he’s called the ‘Pogba of Barca’. He’s like a young Pogba. He is very, very intelligent—and that is his big potential. He is a top player, no doubt.”
Others even dubbed Moriba – who was a cancelled flight away from joining Pep Guardiola at Manchester City back in 2019 – ‘the new Yaya Toure’.
Manchester City’s one that got away
There is a player in there somewhere. One hell of a player too. Yes, Moriba’s 2021/22 was nothing short of a disaster. But it’s only 18 months since he was being labelled the future of Barcelona’s midfield.
“We met with Txiki Begiristain (Man City’s sporting director),” Moriba’s father recalls, speaking to Sport this week. “And he explained the whole project to us.
“A few weeks later, we had tickets to travel to Manchester and sign the contract. I cancelled it. I wanted Ilaix to be an example and a reference for the next generations of Barca.”
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