Ibrahim Mbaye's Transfer Saga: Aston Villa Out, Liverpool and City Interested

Aston Villa have been pushed to the sidelines in the chase for Ibrahim Mbaye, with the PSG forward turning his back on a move to Villa Park as his camp angles for a step straight into European football’s elite with Liverpool or Manchester City.

The 18-year-old, already a 15-cap Senegal international, had been in talks with Villa, but those discussions have cooled sharply. The message from his representatives is clear: Mbaye wants a club that lives at the sharp end of the game, one that competes for – and wins – the biggest trophies. That has opened the door for Liverpool and City, who have both been sounded out over a deal.

Liverpool’s winger rebuild – Barcola first, Mbaye as a bonus

At Anfield, the timing is striking. Liverpool are already locked into a high-stakes pursuit of Bradley Barcola, with the PSG winger identified as their priority signing out wide for the remainder of the window.

Barcola wants the move. Liverpool want Barcola. PSG, though, have planted a huge price tag in the ground: around €170m (£145m). According to Ben Jacobs, Liverpool and the player’s camp will try to drag that figure down, but any agreement will still sit in the top bracket of transfer fees.

The need on Merseyside is obvious. Mohamed Salah has gone, and Federico Chiesa has a realistic chance of leaving as well. If Chiesa follows Salah out, Liverpool’s wide options shrink to Rio Ngumoha, Cody Gakpo and Victor Munoz, with Barcola earmarked as the marquee arrival to restore some firepower and unpredictability on the flanks.

Even that might not be the end of it. There is room, and arguably a necessity, for one more winger if Chiesa departs and Liverpool want genuine depth for a long season. That is where Mbaye comes into focus: not as the headline act, but as a second punch in a major reshaping of their attack.

Graeme Bailey reports that Liverpool do hold an interest in Mbaye, though he is not at the top of their list. Barcola remains the primary objective. A move for Mbaye, if it happens, would be alongside a Barcola deal, not instead of one – and it would likely depend on another wide player being moved on.

PSG logjam pushes Mbaye towards the exit

Mbaye’s desire to leave PSG is easy to understand when you look at the traffic ahead of him.

Last season, he still managed a highly impressive 31 appearances in a squad stacked with attacking talent. Luis Enrique could call on Ousmane Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Desire Doue and Barcola in the forward positions, with Mbaye often used on the right flank during the 2025/26 campaign, cutting in from his stronger right foot.

On top of that, PSG also had Goncalo Ramos and Lee Kang-In at their disposal last season before both were sold, to AC Milan and Atletico Madrid respectively. Even with those exits, the competition remains fierce, and PSG are planning to add Maghnes Akliouche from Monaco to the mix as well.

For an 18-year-old trying to turn promise into status, that is a bottleneck. His camp now believe that a move away is the best route for his development and long-term career, prompting the decision to seek out a new home at the very top level.

City and Liverpool intrigued – but not desperate

Both Liverpool and Manchester City have been offered Mbaye and, per Bailey, both clubs like what they see. Neither, though, is building their summer strategy around him.

For Liverpool, the equation is clear: Barcola first, Mbaye only if the dominoes fall their way and an existing winger – potentially Chiesa – is moved on. For City, Mbaye represents an intriguing opportunity rather than a necessity, a chance to add another high-ceiling talent to a squad already brimming with them.

Aston Villa, ambitious and upwardly mobile under Unai Emery, have discovered the new reality of the market at the very top. Mbaye wants a stage where Champions League nights are a given, not a target. Liverpool and City can offer that.

Now the question is simple: will either of them decide that an 18-year-old who forced his way to 31 appearances in PSG’s crowded attack is worth accelerating their plans for?