Porto join Arsenal in pursuit of 19-year-old Barcelona prodigy

In the upcoming summer transfer window, one of the most difficult decisions that FC Barcelona will have to make is about the future of the young defender, Mikayil Faye.

The Senegalese impressed with his performances at Barcelona Atletic this season, but was unable to make his first-team debut despite the club pushing Xavi to play him in the last few matches of the league.

Barcelona would ideally want to keep such a promising talent with them for years to come. However, given their financial situation, they might be tempted to let him leave this summer.

The defender is ready to take the next step in his career, and with the abundance of defenders in Barcelona’s squad, the club cannot promise him many minutes in the first team next season.

Adding to the intrigue, the player has garnered attention from several elite European clubs, including Arsenal, Bayern Munich, and Manchester United.

Furthermore, according to SPORT, one of the latest suitors to emerge for the defender is the Portuguese club Porto, where the former Barcelona sporting director, Andoni Zubizaretta, is taking over as the Sporting Director.

Traditionally, Porto excel in identifying and signing young talents that have the potential to grow into world-class players. Thus, signing Faye would be a good opportunity for both the Portuguese club and the player himself.

In such a circumstance, Zubizaretta has a difficult task awaiting him. He will first have to convince Barcelona to part with the player, and then also convince Faye that Porto would be the best-suited destination for him.

However, in addition to Zubizarreta’s connections at Barcelona, Porto also have a good relationship with the Catalan club, which could work in their favor in this operation.

The two clubs recently conducted business with the transfer of Nico Gonzalez, and the Portuguese side is looking to repeat this formula to acquire Faye as well.

Deco wants to keep Barcelona in control of the defender and see him play with the first team. However, the Catalans will be open to negotiations if they receive offers around the €15 million mark.