18-year-old Senegalese sensation Mikayil Faye has reportedly snubbed Chelsea by choosing Barcelona as his next destination.
According to reputed Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, Mikayil Faye has chosen his next club. The 18-year-old NK Kustosija Zagreb sensation will join Barcelona in a deal worth €5 million-plus-add-ons. The teenage wonderkid was also a target for Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund this summer.
Mikayil Faye is a product of the Diambars FC Academy in his homeland. A left-footed centre-back by trade, the Senegalese prodigy can also play as a left-back. And his progress in Senegal alerted several well-known European clubs, including Marseille and Reims. But he chose to move to Croatia instead.
The 18-year-old moved to NK Kustosija Zagreb earlier this year. And Faye has been a regular for the Croatian club, turning out 13 times in league competition. The youngster’s progress has not gone unnoticed either, with several high-profile clubs keen on signing him. And Chelsea and FC Barcelona have been competing for his signature in the last few weeks.
Chelsea might have spent heavy sums on senior footballers in the last two transfer windows. But the Todd Boehly consortium has also focused on bolstering the youth division while strengthening the reserve team. Such an outlook has seen Chelsea signing wondrous prospects like Cesare Casadei, Omari Hutchinson, and Carney Chukwuemeka, among others.
🚨 EXCL: Barcelona are set to sign top talented centre back Mikayil Faye from NK Kustosija. Deal done, here we go. #FCB
Born in 2004, linked with Chelsea and BVB — Barça see Faye as a potential future top player. 🔵🔴
Deal agreed on €5m fee plus add-ons, to be signed soon. pic.twitter.com/BwcUvj4jiu
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 11, 2023
Faye was the latest prodigious talent to emerge on Chelsea’s radar. And with academy graduates like Mason Mount, Conor Gallagher, and Trevoh Chalobah becoming regulars, joining Chelsea might have been a well-informed decision. But the 18-year-old African sensation is instead moving to Barcelona.
Like Chelsea, the Catalan giants have garnered the reputation of poaching teenage prodigies year after year. The latest exponent of that outlook in the Barcelona first team is Pedri. And they have also shown interest in several other prospects like Arthur Vermeeren and Vitor Roque. But Barcelona can launch the offensive for those players, they will land Mikayil Faye.
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Barcelona and NK Kustosija Zagreb have sealed the deal, with the Blaugrana shelling out an initial fee of €5 million. The agreement also contains add-ons, with the 18-year-old on the verge of completing the move. And with Inigo Martinez on the wrong side of 30, Faye can be a long-term solution at the heart of the Barcelona defence.
