Manchester United encountered an obstacle in their pursuit of former Barcelona center-back Mikayil Faye during the summer transfer window, as other deals were prioritized.
With the establishment of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s football operations department, Manchester United successfully acquired Leny Yoro from Lille and Matthijs de Ligt from Bayern Munich.
The defensive reinforcements for the team might have been altered if they had acquired Faye. Faye’s agent, Andy Bara, revealed on the Inkubator podcast that Manchester United had expressed interest in signing his client.
However, Faye decided to sign a four-year contract with Rennes in Ligue 1 in August. Bara explained that Faye was not interested in a move to Manchester United, despite their interest. He believed that moving to Manchester United would not further his development significantly, considering his lack of regular playing time at Barcelona.
He also mentioned that Barcelona had required a buy-back clause in Faye’s contract with Rennes as the only condition they agreed to.
The clause is established at €30 million, equivalent to £25 million or $33 million. Bara determined that Faye’s future is contingent upon his performance and development at Rennes.
