The agent of centre-back Mikayil Faye has revealed that he turned down the opportunity to join Manchester United after leaving Barcelona this summer. Despite never making a senior appearance for Barcelona, Faye was highly regarded and French side Rennes secured his signature in a reported €12m deal. However, Faye’s agent, Andy Bara, disclosed that Rennes faced competition from Manchester United but failed to convince the 20-year-old that moving to Old Trafford would be beneficial for his career progression at this stage.
Bara stated, “Manchester United were interested in Faye, but he didn’t like that option. He wasn’t a regular at Barcelona, so what did it matter if he hadn’t had the same at United? His development wouldn’t have progressed at all.”
Furthermore, Bara claimed that Faye only left Barcelona because the club needed to raise funds and were unsuccessful in persuading Inigo Martinez to depart instead. Bara explained, “Barca wanted a buy-back clause in Faye’s contract with Rennes and this was the only condition they proposed. The clause is €30m. Now it all depends on Faye and his development.”
It seems that despite interest from Manchester United, Mikayil Faye made the decision to join Rennes due to concerns about playing time and career advancement opportunities. With a bright future ahead of him, it remains to be seen how his development will unfold under Rennes’ guidance.
