Man Utd 'join race' for £25m-rated Barcelona defender
- Man Utd have been linked with a summer move for Barcelona defender Mikayil Faye
- 19-year-old recently made his Senegal debut despite not yet featuring for Barca
- Barca rejected £13m bids for Faye in January
By Tom Gott
Manchester United have been linked with a big-money move for Barcelona defender Mikayil Faye.
The 19-year-old joined Barcelona last summer and has spent most of his time in the academy, although he did earn a spot on the bench for the 1-0 win over Mallorca earlier in March.
Faye has since made his senior debut for Senegal despite not yet playing a minute for the Barcelona first team.
According to the Daily Mail, Faye's progress has caught the eye of United, who have identified the teenager as a potential cheaper alternative to Everton centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite or Nice's Jean-Clair Todibo.
Barcelona rejected offers of £13m from French sides Nice and Lens in January with a view to letting him progress into Xavi's senior setup, but a fee of £25m is expected to be enough to convince the Catalan outfit to part ways this summer.
The main competitors for Faye's signature are believed to be Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen, although Inter are also keen to lure the defender over to Serie A.
Bayer are said to be working towards an early agreement to sign Faye before the summer transfer window opens as they seek to convince in-demand manager Xabi Alonso to snub interest from Bayern Munich and Liverpool.
United have made signing a new centre-back a top priority for the summer transfer window and have drawn up a lengthy list of targets, including Branthwaite and Todibo, but are searching for the deal that makes the most financial sense.
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