Although he has not yet made his first-team debut under Xavi, the FC Barcelona youngster Mikail Faye has been playing at a very impressively high level for the last few months.
Having arrived at the Catalan club last summer for €1.5 million, the center-back has already significantly increased his value in the market, and is attracting the attention of a lot of clubs across Europe because of his displays with Barcelona Atletic.
His progress this season means he is ready to progress to the first team, following his former colleague in the backline, Pau Cubarsi, who has firmly established himself not only as a first-team player, but also as a starter for Xavi.
But before Barcelona think about a promotion for Faye to the first team, they will be looking to sort out his contractual situation, and bring his wages up to reflect his progression. His current contract goes up to 2027, and has a €400 million release clause.
The Catalans are particularly keen to ensure the player is satisfied at the club, because he is receiving alluring offers from some of the biggest clubs across Europe, including Manchester United, Inter Milan, Juventus, and the recently crowned German champions, Bayer Leverkusen.
For this purpose, work is already underway, and according to SPORT, the footballer’s representatives have already met with Deco recently.
One of the executives of the organization that represents Faye is Miquel Olmo, the father of Dani Olmo, and Deco’s meeting with him led to rumors that it was intended to bring Dani Olmo to Barcelona. However, this is not true, and the meeting was actually held to negotiate Faye’s new contract.
Irrespective of how these negotiations advance in the coming weeks, there is a huge possibility that Faye can end up having a significantly more important role in the first team in the next season.
As Xavi’s departure looks increasingly likely following the team’s elimination from the Champions League, Rafa Marquez is the favorite to take the top coaching position at the club.
Marquez has made Faye a key part of his Barcelona Atletic team, and he can promote him to the first team as well as he knows and trusts the Senegalese.
