Aston Villa have reached an agreement in principle with Paris Saint-Germain to sign Ibrahim Mbaye in a €55m (£47m) deal.
The 18-year-old’s move to Villa Park will come as a blow to Liverpool, who have been linked with him throughout the summer.
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Villa appear to have won the race for the highly rated teenager, who has made 42 appearances for PSG. Mbaye will join Alejandro Garnacho, who arrived on loan from Chelsea, as a new winger option.
Ibrahim Mbaye is scheduled to undergo his medical on Saturday before signing a five-year contract with Villa, with an option for a further year. Mbaye will arrive as a much-needed addition after Aston Villa’s disastrous start to the season.
Villa were thrashed 4-0 by Brighton in their Premier League opener, with Joao Gomes also sent off. As a result, Villa enter matchweek 2 of the 2026-27 campaign at the bottom of the table.
However, they were not alone in their interest in Mbaye, with Chelsea and RB Leipzig also making several approaches for the teenager in recent days. According to RMC Sport, Liverpool withdrew from the race after PSG’s initial demands approached €70m.
With PSG’s demands considered too high, Liverpool have pivoted to alternative targets, including Brighton winger Yankuba Minteh, for whom they have had two bids of £50m and £60m rejected.
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler wants to keep Minteh but has refused to rule out a late departure. “Rumours. Rumours.” Hurzeler told reporters. “Let’s see what happens. Again, another example of a player who benefits from the success of the team.
“He benefits for example from hard work from Pascal [Gross], hard work from Jack Hinshelwood, hard work from all the other players.
“And he knows it. Therefore I also think it’s important to understand as a player what you have here, playing for a club like Brighton.
“You have a club that gives you the chance, you team-mates who are really trying to push you, you have a club that is there for you also in tough moments.
“[New Man United signing] Carlos Baleba had so many tough moments when he was here, Minteh also had tough moments, but we were always there for them, always tried to help them, their team-mates are there for them.
“So I think it’s also important for the players to understand what they have here with this club, how the fans are connected, how we are working together.
“It’s difficult to find a similar environment, or better environment, for potential young players. But the same with Minteh, we were successful as a team, that brings attention on him, so let’s see what happens.
“If you ask me if I’ll try to convince him to stay, yes I try to convince him to stay. But can I control everything? No, I can’t control everything.”
Minteh is currently sidelined with a leg injury and is open to joining Liverpool. The Reds are also exploring other options, with an enquiry made for Crystal Palace winger Ismaila Sarr earlier this week.
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