REUTERS
Aston Villa have made a breakthrough in their negotiations to sign Paris Saint-Germain winger Ibrahim Mbaye. Unai Emery and the club's recruitment staff are looking to piece their squad back together after a turbulent summer that has seen them lose plenty of talent this summer.
Morgan Rogers, Youri Tieemans and Ollie Watkins have all left the club, although it has now been confirmed that Nicolas Jackson will come in to replace the latter. Villa suffered a thrashing on the opening day of the season, which will have served as a major reality check despite replacements having been signed for those departing players.
Replacing such quality is a difficult task, and as Villa prepare for what they hope will be a good Champions League run and a bid to land a top four finish, they clearly need more.
Emery has been hoping to strengthen out wide, and it looks as though he has got his man, with Villa agreeing a fee with Aston Villa to sign Mbaye, according to David Ornstein. He posted the following on X:
"EXCLUSIVE: Aston Villa reach agreement in principle to sign Ibrahim Mbaye from Paris Saint-Germain. #AVFCmove for 18yo #PSG winger in process of being finalised: €55m. Nasser Al-Khelaifi & Nassef Sawiris relationship key to closing deal @TheAthleticFC"
That fee works out at around £47million, making it a significant statement from Villa, especially for an 18-year-old winger who has not fully proven himself. Mbaye did make 24 Ligue 1 appearances for PSG last season and contributed to their second successive Champions League win. He scored three and assisted two in the league, while he did not manage a goal or assist in his four Champions League outings.
An 18-year-old winger getting regular game time for PSG, who are clearly the best team in the world as things stand, is going to be a player with serious talent, and he is also a regular at senior level for Senegal, recently starring in the World Cup.
Mbaye stats from 2025/26 Ligue 1 season:
Appearances: 24
Goals: 3
Assists: 2
Key passes: 0.8 per game
Dribbles: 0.9 per game
Pass success: 86.5%
But there is always going to be an element of risk when signing such a young player for big money, given the differences between Ligue 1 and the Premier League, though both leagues lean towards the more physical side.
Back in January, PSG boss Luis Enrique said of the winger: "I’m very happy for Mbaye. He has experience because he has played a lot this season. In terms of maturity, this competition was important for him. He has shown that he has the level.”
Rafael Leao in action for AC Milan
Rafael Leao in action for AC Milan