Barcelona have confirmed the signing of 18-year-old central defender Mikayil Faye from Croatian side NK Kustosija Zagreb.

Nicknamed “The Monster” Faye began his career at the Diambars Academy and only made his debut in Europe three months ago for Kustosija, scoring his first senior goal against city rivals Hrvatski Dragovoljac in May.

Mikayil Faye joins La Liga champions

The Senegalese defender, who can also fill in at left-back, will have to compete with defenders such as Ronald Araujo, Jules Kounde, Andreas Christensen, and Eric Garcia for a first-team birth.

Perhaps more likely, Faye will continue his development at the Catalans world famous La Mesia youth team academy before being considered as a regular under head coach Xavi Hernandez.

Barca had to fight hard for the African defender’s services too, with French giants Olympique Marseille also reportedly interested in Faye, who has signed a deal up until June 2027 which includes a release clause of $440m.