Barcelona star set to join Ligue 1 giants for €15 million fee this summer - Reports
Barcelona star Mikayil Faye is reportedly set to leave the club for Ligue 1 outfit Rennes this summer. According to a report by SPORT, new Barcelona manager Hansi Flick wasn't convinced by the defender's performance in training.
The summer transfer window closes in just two weeks and Barcelona are in haste to get some names out of the club and register the signed players. Several players like Ansu Fati, Clement Lenglet, and Vitor Roque are reportedly likely to leave within the next few days.
One such player in the list is Mikayil Faye, who is set to be shipped to Rennes for a reported transfer fee of €15 million. Out of the total fee, €11 million will be the fixed pay while the rest will be paid as variables.
The young defender has also attracted interest from other European clubs like Besiktas and FC Porto. However, SPORT reports that Rennes will likely be his final destination after leaving the Catalan club. At present, the two clubs are discussing a buy-back option during the first three years of his stay at Rennes. The French side are expected to sign Mikayil Faye as soon as their deal to send Arthur Theate to Eintracht Frankfurt gets finalized.
Mikayil Faye wasn't seen in Barcelona's last training session before the start of the new La Liga season. The club stated that he was out because of a viral ailment. Furthermore, he hasn't been registered yet and will not feature in the Catalan club's La Liga season opener against Valencia on August 17.
Hansi Flick has a 'special' player up his sleeve for Barcelona's first La Liga match against Valencia
Barcelona will kick off their La Liga campaign against Valencia at the Mestalla on Saturday. Hansi Flick will want to field his best team for the game to get them off to a flying start.
The Catalan club had an up-and-down pre-season campaign. They recorded convincing victories against Real Madrid and Manchester City but were defeated by a scoreline of 3-0 in the Joan Gamper trophy by Monaco.
However, Hansi Flick seemed confident in the pre-match press conference and also talked about Pedri's availability and how crucial he was for the team.
“Pedri is a special player and he changes the team by himself. Perhaps he will be an option for the second half and I’m sure he can help us a lot,” commented the German via Barca News Network.
Now that Pedri is back in the Catalan side, fans can expect a stable and dynamic midfield going into the 2024-25 season. He returns after suffering an injury with Spain during their quarter-final against Germany at Euro 2024.