Barcelona keeping tabs on former defender struggling for minutes at his new club

Barcelona keeping tabs on former defender struggling for minutes at his new club Mika Faye left FC Barcelona for Rennes in the summer of 2024, but he has yet to find the regular playing time that seemed likely when he first emerged with Barça Atletic. Now on loan at Nuremberg in the German second division, he faces another challenge that could have an important bearing on his future. Faye has not yet made an appearance this season for the German side. His situation has once again placed the focus on a player who, despite his qualities and the confidence he once inspired at Barcelona, has barely had any continuity since leaving the Catalan club. His recent record is telling. In the 2024/25 season, he made 12 appearances for Rennes, while last season he managed just 250 minutes during his loan spell at Cremonese. Nonetheless, according to SPORT , Barcelona are also keeping a close eye on his situation. Faye left Barcelona in 2024. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images) The Catalan club sold the defender in 2024 for €10.3 million, but retained two mechanisms that allow them to maintain some control over his future: a €25 million buy-back option and 30% of a future sale. Improving at Nuremberg Nuremberg manager, Miroslav Klose, has spoken positively about Faye’s first weeks of work and highlighted the centre-back’s qualities. “Mikayil is making an increasingly better impression; he has been training with the team for some time. You can see the excellent technique he possesses,” explained the World Cup winner recently. The major question is when his opportunity on the pitch will arrive. Klose has not yet decided whether Faye will get his first minutes in the upcoming friendly against FC Ingolstadt, of the German third tier, on 2 October. “We will see when he can show it in a match,” said the coach. Barcelona are still monitoring his situation While it is far from an ideal situation for Faye, the fact that the manager is speaking positively about his recent improvement could bode well and lead to him getting minutes. As such, Barça are keeping a close watch on his situation in Germany, as a positive development for the Senegalese defender could have both sporting and financial consequences for the club . Faye’s career has stagnated after leaving Barcelona. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) When he left the club, Faye was regarded as one of La Masia’s most promising young centre-backs. His physical power, ability to defend in open space and technical quality had generated significant expectations, but his career has encountered an unexpected obstacle: a lack of regular playing time. Nuremberg now represents another opportunity. Perhaps not his final one, but certainly one of the more important stages of his career. At 22, he still has time to rebuild his trajectory, although he needs something he has not had since leaving Barcelona: a season in which he can play regularly and show that the centre-back who attracted attention in Barcelona is still there.