Barcelona in no hurry to sell defensive gem with Porto move on the brink of collapse

Barcelona have set a price of €15 million for their young defender, Mikayil Faye, according to SPORT and this means FC Porto, once the front-runner for his signature, are now backing out of the race. 

The reason? They simply cannot afford the hefty price tag placed on the player.

It is said that Fayer’s agent, Juanma Lopez, recently travelled to Porto to negotiate a potential transfer with the club’s president, Andre Villas-Boas. 

Earlier, he was rumoured to be close to joining Porto, but sources from Portugal insist that no such deal is near completion.

Insiders close to Porto say that the club will not finalize any deals before June 30. This is because they are currently reorganising their finances. They also state that Porto cannot meet the €15 million asking price for Faye due to their financial difficulties.

Porto are far off from Barcelona’s asking price

It was believed that Lopez’s trip to Porto was intended to advance negotiations between Faye and Porto, dependent on a subsequent agreement between the clubs. However, this agreement seems far from being reached. 

Mikayil Faye could continue at Barcelona. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

The figures Porto is willing to offer are significantly lower than Barcelona’s asking price, having prepared to offer between €5 million and €8 million, with the total potentially reaching up to €10 million with additional clauses.

Barcelona in no rush

Right now, Barcelona are in no rush to sell Faye. They no longer need to offload players before June 30 to balance their finances and if no deal is made with Porto, Faye will participate in the pre-season under coach Hansi Flick. 

Should he leave, Barcelona wants to secure a substantial amount and include a buyback option in the contract. 

It is understood that Barcelona’s stance with Faye is clear: they recognize his potential and are not willing to let him go for less than their valuation. 

Porto, on the other hand, are struggling to match this valuation due to their current financial constraints. This situation leaves Faye’s future hanging in the balance. 

While his talent makes him a desirable asset, the financial disagreements between the clubs create a challenging scenario.