For the second time since leaving FC Barcelona, Mikayil Faye is heading out on loan. On Thursday, it was announced that the 22-year-old defender was joining 2. Bundesliga side 1. FC Nürnberg from Stade Rennais with an option to buy. Barcelona would get 30% of any sale as part of the €10 million move that took Faye to France in 2024.
Faye joined Barcelona as a relative unknown in 2023, joining from NK Kustošija in Croatia's second division. In Catalunya, he quickly established himself as an important player for Barça Atlètic, although the club fell just short of promotion to the Segunda División. Faye was also called up to the first team and was on the bench multiple times under Xavi, although he never made his debut.
Despite his potential, Barcelona needed cash and elected to sell Faye in August 2024. There were multiple suitors, but in the end, Stade Rennais signed the Senegal international for €10 million. The deal helped the club to escape a tricky financial situation and register Dani Olmo, although Barcelona retained a 30% sell-on and a €25 million buy-back in case Faye developed into an elite defender.
Two years later, the decision has aged perfectly. Barcelona is financially healthy once again, and Olmo, when healthy, has been a valuable part of Hansi Flick's team. Pau Cubarsí made the step up and has become the defender Barcelona needed him to be, and, at 19, he has just helped Spain lift the World Cup with his performances in North America.
Faye, meanwhile, has struggled to deliver on the promise that he initially showed in Catalunya. He made his Ligue 1 debut against PSG in a 3-1 loss and was something of a regular in the first half of the season. In the second half of the season, though, the young defender was demoted to the bench under new manager Habib Beye, making just two further appearances as Stade Rennais finished in the bottom half of Ligue 1.
Last season got off to a rocky start as Faye was left out of the squad for the season opener against Marseille by Beye. It was reported that the defender had arrived late to a team meeting and, by the end of the summer, Faye was loaned out to Serie A side Cremonese.
In Italy, he fared no better as he struggled with injuries and failed to make an impact, finishing with just eight appearances. Cremonese were relegated to Serie B, and Faye returned to Stade Rennais following his loan. Now, he is once again on the move.
If Barcelona are to benefit from the sell-on, this looks to be the last chance. After the season, Faye will be 23 and have just one year left on his Stade Rennais contract, meaning he will, barring a massive turnaround, be sold next summer. Barcelona's buy-back will almost certainly go unused.
Nürnberg does have a buy-option in the loan. However, the value has not yet been disclosed, and, knowing Faye's recent struggles and Nürnberg's financial situation as a second-division club, it's unlikely to be a fee high enough for Barcelona to profit significantly.
In any instance, this will be a key year for Faye and his career. The defender undoubtedly has potential, and he showed it at times in Catalunya, but the past two seasons have certainly been frustrating. Now under manager Miroslav Klose in the 2. Bundesliga, he has a chance to develop and show what he can do.
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