Barcelona transfer news: Liverpool defender Alberto Moreno offered ‘two-year’ contract by the club

Barcelona have offered a two-year contract for Liverpool’s left-back Alberto Moreno.

Barcelona have been facing an ongoing conundrum at the left flank of the defense with the shortage of players. Ernesto Valverde has been forced to play Jordi Alba for most of the games with no real second fiddle in that department. 20-year-old Marc Cucurella was sent on loan to the Spanish outfit SD Eibar till the end of the season.

The Spanish International has started 19 times out of 24 appearances at Ipurua Municipal Stadium and the manager Jose Luis Mendilibar has confirmed that the young left-back would be staying put at Eibar for the next season with a hope of agreeing a contract extension. This will drive Valverde to sign an experienced left-back before the start of the next season.

According to the Spanish publication Sport, Liverpool defender Alberto Moreno is heading the list to play second fiddle to Spain’s first choice Jordi Alba. There were initial fears about Alba’s contract, but he put pen to paper for another five years which will keep him at the club till 2024.

On the other hand, the Reds have decided against handing over a contract to Alberto Moreno who joined from Sevilla in 2014. Upon signing for the club, the Spaniard agreed to sign a five-year contract with the club, but that has not been renewed due to subpar performances under two different managers – Jurgen Klopp and Brendan Rodgers.

Since his contract gets expired in the summer transfer window, the Blaugrana are looking to take full advantage of that by agreeing a deal prematurely. The Spaniard will be allowed to speak with other foreign clubs since his deal will not be contracted with Liverpool after the conclusion of this season.

During the International break, Moreno was pictured at Rome with his old teammate Lucas Leiva. Rumors started to materialize that the left-back was negotiating with a deal with Lazio, but the Spanish outlet say that Barcelona are currently ahead of the Italian outlet to secure his signature for free.

The former Sevilla defender has made just five appearances this term, starting on four occasions in all tournaments. English veteran James Milner benched Alberto Moreno during the 2016/17 season and the defender was an integral part of the side last season until he picked up an injury last season. Andy Robertson took full advantage of that situation to cement his place in the starting eleven.

It has been a tough season for Moreno who has not featured in the squad list at times which will be frustrating for the left-back. However, Barcelona are prepared to land him because his wages would not be on the higher side.

On the other hand, Lazio have Stefan Radu as the first choice, but they have been focussing on shipping Jordan Lukaku from their club. The Belgian has been criticized for subpar performances at the club and Simeone Inzhagi is looking elsewhere for options.

It is no doubt that Moreno would be playing backup to Alba or Radu if he chooses to sign for Lazio or Barcelona respectively. Since the Romanian International will be turning 33 before the kick start of the next season, Moreno will have a chance to prove himself at the Italian outfit than at Barcelona.

Along with Alberto Moreno, Barcelona are keen to sign Luka Jovic and Matthijs De Ligt as the club prepare to look at long-term options and bolster the squad.

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What’s next?

Barcelona will take on Espanyol in the La Liga at Nou Camp on Saturday, followed by the clash against Villarreal in a Tuesday night kick off.