Despite not having made his first-team debut yet, Mikayil Faye is one of the players at FC Barcelona who have clearly shown that they are ready to take the next step in their career.
Having signed for Barcelona last summer from a minor club in Croatia, the youngster has performed very well for Barcelona Atletic this season, and is one of the most promising defenders in the Catalan club right now.
The trust of the Blaugranes in the Senegalese is so great that Deco has already promised his agents a first-team number for the next season. The club also considers him to be one of the few untouchable players in their current squad.
However, as SPORT has noted, Xavi’s continuity at FC Barcelona is not the best of news for Faye, as he is not expected to get a lot of minutes under him next season. This is especially the case as Xavi fully trusts Inigo Martinez, and would not have a lot of slots available at the centre-back position.
Previously, Inigo Martinez’ continuity at the club was not fully assured, especially when it was not clear whether Xavi will remain on the Barcelona bench for the next season. However, now that the decision about the Barcelona head coach has been made, Martinez is going to remain as Xavi wants him and had bet heavily on him to get him last summer.
Thus, with Cubarsi, Araujo, Kounde, Christensen, and Martinez all already present in the squad, and Eric Garcia, Clement Lenglet, and Chadi Riad to potentially return after their loan periods, there would not be a lot of space for Faye in the first team.
The latter three players are intended to be sold in the coming summer, but still, a current first-team defender will have to be sold to make space for Faye, as Barcelona want to have only 5 center-backs at a maximum.
Faye himself wants to stay at Barcelona despite having some offers on the table with superior wages to what the Catalans are offering. Now, the Sporting Department will have to make a decision on his future, and a loan or a sale with a buyback option cannot be ruled out.
