Arsenal ready to HIJACK transfer for Barcelona wonderkid

Suraj Radia

27 Jun 2024 22:00 BST
3 min read

Mikel Arteta, Arsenal, 2023/24 — © IMAGO

Arsenal could swoop for a wonderkid defender and hijack the deal from under the noses of a European rival after a negotiations stalled over his agreed transfer.

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Mikel Arteta’s side have been quiet in the early stages of the transfer window, with the club seemingly waiting until July to start their business, having already exhausted their current financial limits.

However, Arsenal appear to be making steps to beginning their business, with HITC reporting that an enquiry has been submitted to Barcelona over young defender Mika Faye.

The 19-year-old is already deep in negotiations with FC Porto over a permanent switch, with reports in Spain claiming personal terms have already been agreed, but Barcelona’s demands have so far led the transfer to stall.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Barcelona have asked for a fee of around €15 million for the Senegalese international, including a sell-on percentage and a future buy-back clause.

Barcelona sporting director Deco was pictured in Porto, fuelling speculations that he was there to continue negotiations to sell Faye, however the former Portuguese international insisted he was only there for family reasons and nothing more.

© IMAGO - Mika Faye is highly-rated at Barcelona

Buy-back clause could prevent Arsenal from pursuing Faye transfer

Faye only joined Barcelona last summer from Croatian side Kustosija, having previously been playing in his native Senegal.

The teenager has impressed during his 33 appearances for Barcelona’s Atletic team and is considered one of the club’s brightest defensive prospects.

However, Faye is thought to be keen on leaving for first team football, while Barcelona are aware that a sale would greatly ease some of their well-documented financial issues.

Arsenal, meanwhile are thought to value Faye’s versatility as a left-sided defender but the inclusion of a buy-back clause would be a non-starter for the Gunners if they were to pursue a deal for the youngster.

Faye scored on his one and only appearance for Senegal’s national team earlier this year and Barcelona are keen not to sever ties with the defender completely, meaning a move to Arsenal could prove difficult.