Man Utd 'join race' for £25m-rated Barcelona defender
Transfers
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
3:00 PM GMT
Faye is yet to play for Barcelona
Faye is yet to play for Barcelona / Alex Caparros/GettyImages
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.
Mikayil Faye
Faye has been working in Barca's academy / Omar Vega/GettyImages
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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MLS: Five storylines from Matchday Six
FotMob - March 25, 2024, 12:50 PM
A Lionel Messi-less Inter Miami were given a reality check by the New York Red Bulls on Saturday while the LA Galaxy pulled off a thrilling comeback from 2-0 down to beat Sporting KC. The international break might have robbed many teams of some of their best players, but there was no shortage of drama and excitement across the league on Saturday. Here are five of the biggest storylines from the weekend in MLS.
By Graham Ruthven, MLS Expert
Lewis Morgan hat trick highlights the importance of his return to RBNY
Messi wasn’t at Red Bull Arena for Inter Miami on Saturday, but Lewis Morgan stepped in as the headline act for the New York Red Bulls. In Scottish weather, the Greenock-born forward scored a hat trick in a 4-0 victory for the hosts, highlighting the importance of his return having missed the majority of last season through injury.
With five goals in five games, Morgan is tied with Dejan Joveljić in the early-season Golden Boot standings, but this only hints at his value to the Red Bulls. The 27-year-old’s work rate makes him the perfect forward for Sandro Schwarz’s approach while the relationship he has with Emil Forsberg and Dante Vanzeir is strong. Morgan has finally picked up where he left off in 2022.
Charlotte FC’s statement win over Columbus undermined by baffling refereeing
Charlotte FC made it two wins from two home games this season by beating the Columbus Crew 2-0 on Saturday. However, their statement victory over last season’s MLS Cup winners was undermined by a baffling refereeing display that shaped the match. Dean Smith won’t care, but this game underlined why MLS must bring an end to the ongoing referee lockout.
First, Derrick Jones was sent off after just 26 minutes for an innocuous-looking foul. Then Columbus had a goal ruled out for an offside that appeared impossible to spot on the available camera angle. Then Charlotte’s Kerwin Vargas was awarded a dubious penalty kick at the end of 16 minutes of first half stoppage time. The farce was impossible to avoid.
LA Galaxy are making themselves the team to beat in the West
For 60 minutes, the LA Galaxy’s positive start to 2024 appeared to be coming to an abrupt end. They were being dominated by Sporting KC who held a 2-0 advantage and were seemingly cruising to three points. Three goals in an eight-minute span, however, changed the dynamic of the match and saw the Galaxy run out 3-2 winners.
On the evidence of what we have seen in the early stages of this season, the LA Galaxy are making themselves the team to beat in the Western Conference. Joveljić and Riqui Puig are developing a connection while Joseph Paintsil is in the conversation for being the best signing of the off-season. The Galaxy have given themselves a good platform.
Denis Bouanga is off the mark for 2024 – and so are Los Angeles FC
The cork came out the bottle for Los Angeles FC – and Denis Bouanga – on Saturday. The 2023 MLS Cup finalists scored just once in four league fixtures, but against Nashville they bagged five with Bouanga helping himself to a brace. The 2023 Golden Boot winner is off the mark and it will be difficult to stop him from now on.
There is a sense that LAFC are waiting until the summer to add another key piece to their attack (discussions with Olivier Giroud have reportedly taken place), but Bouanga remains one of the most dangerous forwards in MLS. Having the Gabon international back in form will be a game changer for Steve Cherundolo’s side.
Philadelphia’s unexpected win at Portland could spark their season into life
Missing six starters, the Philadelphia Union weren’t expected to gain much from their away match at the Portland Timbers. Against the odds, though, Jim Curtin’s team claimed their first win of the season, beating Portland 3-1. “This group tends to be at their best when maybe they’re counted out,” said Curtin afterwards.
Until Saturday, Philadelphia had looked a bit flat this year. They had drawn consecutive matches against Chicago, Sporting KC, and Austin FC and needed something to spark their season into life. Against Portland, the Union sat deeper than usual and allowed the hosts to control possession. When they had the chance, though, Philly were incisive in the final third. This was more like it.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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