Barcelona are set to sign top talented centre-back Mikayil Faye from NK Kustosija. The Senegalese, born in 2004, was linked with Chelsea and BVB Dortmund, but the La Liga side sees Faye as a potential future top player.

The deal agreed on is around a €5m fee plus add-ons, and all documents are completed between Barça and NK Kustosija. He will undergo medical tests this week; the club side plan has been confirmed, with an official statement coming soon.

The 18-year-old would have needed to get a work permit to play for Chelsea and would have gone on loan as planned by Mauricio Pochettino, who didn’t see him good enough for the team yet.

The Monster, as he is called, turned down French clubs Marseille and Reims last summer and was part of the Senegalese u17 team that played at the 2019 FIFA under-17 World Cup.

Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski has also stated that he is not thinking about a Saudi Arabia deal stating that he has other priorities. The Pole scored 23 times and seven assists in 34 games as the club won the La Liga.

 “I don’t think about Saudi bid… because there’s nothing to think about. I’ve other priorities. I look and see what is happening [in Saudi], but it does not concern me”, he said.

Top players in Europe have been linked with a move to the Saudi league after Karim Benzema and Ngolo Kante signed for Al-Ittihad.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modrić has also stated that he has not accepted any proposal from Saudi and he has no intention to do so. The midfielder’s plan is to stay at Real Madrid, having already agreed to a new deal until 2024 weeks ago.

The deal to sign Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund does not stop him from staying at the Santiago Bernabeu for the 2023/2024 season.

Daniel Ademiju Idowu