Barcelona ready to offload another defender after Mika Faye reaches agreement with Ligue 1 club: Reports

Barcelona are reportedly ready to offload another defender this summer amid Mika Faye's imminent departure. Spanish outlet Sport has reported that the La Liga giants could part ways with promising centre-back Mamadou Mbacke as well.

It has been a tough summer for Barcelona who have been working actively for several weeks to offload players to free up their wage bill and register new signings.

On Thursday (August 22), it was confirmed that the Blaugrana reached an agreement with Ligue 1 outfit Rennes over the sale of Mika Faye (via Barca Universal).

The 20-year-old defender - who arrived for €1.5 million last year - is on the verge of leaving for €12 million this summer - with the club to have a buyback clause worth over €35 million. However, Faye isn't the only defensive talent who will bid farewell to Catalonia in the coming days.

According to Sport, the Blaugrana could also offload another fast-rising defensive prodigy - Mamadou Mbacke - this summer. The report mentioned that two Serie A clubs have shown interest in snapping up the 21-year-old.

Mbacke arrived at Barcelona on a loan deal from LAFC last summer. He was sent to the reserve team, where he formed a centre-back pairing with Mika Faye in Rafael Marquez's set-up.

Although he was limited by injuries, his level of performance when he was fit was enough to convince the Blaugrana to sign him permanently. The club sealed his transfer for €2 million, with the player penning a deal through 2026 with the option to extend it for two more years.

However, the player is now sidelined as he continues recovering from an injury setback. As per Barca Universal, he could return to action in September or October.

---

Who else could Barcelona sell this summer?

The need to comply with La Liga's strict financial rules has put Barcelona in a difficult situation. As a result, the places of many players at the club aren't safe right now as the Blaugrana look to conduct an exodus before the transfer window shuts.

Most significantly, they are prepared to let go of one of their top earners, Ilkay Gundogan (as per Sky Sports). The midfielder has reportedly reached out to his former side Manchester City over a potential return. City boss Pep Guardiola is close to reuniting with his former player.

Frenkie de Jong is another big earner rumored to be on the disposable list (as per Mirror). With just one week left for the closure of the transfer window, it will be interesting to see how far they'll go in their offloading mission.