Paris Saint-Germain wonderkid Ibrahim Mbaye is on the verge of joining Aston Villa, with the West Midlands club striking a verbal agreement for a deal.
According to an update by reputed Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, Aston Villa will pay €55 million to sign Ibrahim Mbaye from Paris Saint-Germain in the final days of the ongoing transfer window. The 18-year-old Paris Saint-Germain prodigy is reportedly a “long-term target” for the Villans, and they have quickly negotiated a deal after Rafael Leao picked Galatasaray as his next destination.
Meanwhile, David Moyes has revealed further information in a report for The Athletic, suggesting that the “deal in the process of being finalised and paperwork in progress”. The reputed journalist has added that the “relationship between Villa chairman Nassef Sawiris and PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi was seen as key to closing the deal”. He has also claimed that Liverpool also wanted to sign the teenager at one point.
Ibrahim Mbaye has struggled for consistent playing time since breaking into the first-team squad at Paris Saint-Germain. The youngster made his senior bow in August 2024, aged 16, thus becoming the youngest PSG player to start a match. Despite impressing since his debut, he arrived at a crossroads at just 18 years old.
The 18-year-old was a backup player for PSG in the 2025/26 season, managing only 1,242 minutes of game time across 31 appearances and chipping in with three goals and two assists. However, the Senegalese international showed enough potential to attract interest from several top clubs, with Aston Villa and Liverpool among the prospective suitors vying for his signature.
While Aston Villa signed Alejandro Garnacho earlier in the summer transfer window, they have a productivity gap after selling Morgan Rogers to Chelsea and agreeing to let Ollie Watkins join Al-Hilal. The Villans lack quality on the flanks, and with Leon Bailey’s future at the club uncertain, they set their sights on Mbaye.
Meanwhile, Liverpool’s interest in Ibrahim Mbaye made logical sense. The Reds have been targeting multiple wide attackers despite signing Victor Munoz, as manager Andoni Iraola seeks more firepower in the final third after Mohamed Salah’s departure as a free agent this summer. While Bradley Barcola is on the verge of joining Liverpool, Mbaye offered a complementary option, having already played alongside the Frenchman at PSG.
However, Liverpool must now look elsewhere, as Mbaye is on the verge of completing a €55 million move to Aston Villa ahead of Tuesday’s transfer deadline. Per David Ornstein, the Villans are “hopeful of Mbaye travelling on Saturday to complete a medical ahead of the proposed move”. So, a summer deal is only a matter of time now.
