Францын хөлбөмбөгийн ирээдүйтэй тоглогчдын нэг Ибрахим Мбайег Ливерпүүл болон Астон Вилла багууд өөрийн эгнээндээ нэгтгэхээр сонирхож байгаа нь тодорхой боллоо.
Пари Сен-Жермен клубийн академиас тодрон гарсан 18 настай жигүүрийн довтлогч Ибрахим Мбайе нь Дэлхийн аварга шалгаруулах тэмцээнд гоол оруулсан Африкийн хамгийн залуу тоглогч болсон түүхтэй. Тэрээр 2024 оны наймдугаар сард ПСЖ-ийн төлөө лигийн тоглолтод гарааны бүрэлдэхүүнд багтсанаар клубийнхээ түүхэн дэх хамгийн залуу тоглогчоор бүртгэгдсэн юм. Сенегалийн шигшээ багийг сонгосон Мбайе 2025 оны арванхоёрдугаар сард Африкийн цомын тэмцээнд оролцож, Суданы хаалганд гоол оруулснаар шинэ амжилтыг тогтоосон билээ.
Ливерпүүл клуб түүнийг сонирхож байгаа талаар мэдээлэл гарсан ч багийн зүгээс хувийн нөхцөлийн талаар тохиролцсон гэх яриаг үгүйсгэв. Астон Вилла багийн хувьд өнгөрсөн нэгдүгээр сард түүнийг багтаа элсүүлэхээр идэвхтэй хөөцөлдсөн ч санхүүгийн шаардлага болон ПСЖ-ийн байр сууринаас шалтгаалан наймаа бүтэлгүйтсэн юм.
Мбайе өнгөрсөн улиралд бүх тэмцээнийг оролцуулан 30 тоглолтод оролцсон бөгөөд талбай дээрх хурд, бөмбөг эзэмшилтээрээ онцгойрч байна. Тэрээр өмнө нь Лондоны агентлагтай хамтарч байсан бол энэ жил Жорже Мендесийн “Gestifute” агентлагтай гэрээ байгуулжээ. Одоогийн байдлаар тоглогчийн ирээдүй бүрхэг байгаа ч түүнийг Европын томоохон лигүүд анхааралтай ажигласаар байна.
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For those who are not regular watchers of France’s Ligue 1, your first introduction to Ibrahim Mbaye may have been his sensational solo goal at the World Cup for Senegal against France.
It may have only been a consolation in a 3-1 defeat, but it saw Mbaye become the youngest African player to score at a World Cup, aged 18 years and 143 days old.
And setting records for becoming the youngest to do something has been part of the right-winger’s routine since he became Paris Saint-Germain’s youngest league starter (16 years and 205 days old) when he was selected to play against Le Havre in August 2024.
Born in Trappes, a western suburb of Paris, he chose to represent Senegal — where his father is from — at senior international level, despite representing France through the youth levels up to under-20s. He became his nation’s youngest player to appear at the Africa Cup of Nations in December 2025 and goalscorer in the tournament when he scored against Sudan in the round of 16.
It is no wonder that the now-18-year-old has been looked at by several of Europe’s top clubs since he broke through at PSG. Bayer Leverkusen and Liverpool are two of the clubs to have explored a move for the winger this summer, but senior club sources at Liverpool insist it has gone no further, dismissing reports that personal terms have been agreed.
Ibrahim Mbaye, right, impressed against France in New Jersey (Al Bello/Getty Images)
It has been quite the rise for a youngster whose first sporting love was not football — he preferred basketball. His father, Abdoulaye, showed him plenty of football videos and his interest grew. He joined ES Guyancourt, a local club in Yvelines. He then moved on to FC Versailles, which has a reputation for having a well-run academy.
His talent and potential were enough for PSG to get involved, and they brought him into their academy system at the age of 10. His rise continued, and by 16 he was playing for the under-19s, helping them win the Championnat National U19 title in 2024. He received the club’s Titi d’Or award, given to the most promising player in the club’s academy, in the same year.
In the summer of 2024, Mbaye was given the opportunity to train with the first team and left such an impression that head coach Luis Enrique started him in the first league game of the 2024-25 season. He made 10 appearances in all competitions and was on the bench as PSG won the Champions League for the first time.
He saw an increase in his involvement last season as he made 30 appearances in all competitions. If a reminder of his age was needed, it came in September 2025, when Mbaye could not travel with the squad for an away game against Marseille because he had to sit an exam. He joined up with the squad later in the day instead, and came on as a very late substitute.
The youngster is still a raw prospect who is developing, but his youth brings a fearlessness when he is in possession. He is right-footed and has predominantly played on the right wing, but is comfortable operating on both flanks.
He uses his acceleration and excellent turning to get out of tight spaces rather than into physical duels where opponents can dominate him. He frequently looks to drive forward with the ball, which often leads to chance creation rather than shooting opportunities for himself.
Mbaye does look to get to the byline and provide the textbook low cutback for a team-mate, but his low cross volume (5 out of 99) and high link-up play (86 out of 99) in the graphic above suggest he profiles more as a quick-passing inside forward rather than a touchline-hugging winger.
It must be noted that his 997 league minutes last season are still a relatively small sample size, so an increased role at a new club would help paint a clearer picture of the multi-faceted attacker.
Last season, the attacker had been identified as a leading target for Aston Villa as they looked to add a pacy right-winger who could run beyond opposition back lines. After heavily scouting and tracking him, Villa explored a possible deal for Mbaye in January. However, they were unable to offer the financials required, and there were doubts about whether PSG would sanction a sale.
They made contact again a few months later, believing a deal would cost in the region of £40million-50million. It became evident it would be towards the top end. There was a feeling among those close to Mbaye heading into the summer that Villa may have missed their opportunity.
He remained a key target alongside Crysencio Summerville, who moved from West Ham to Al Hilal for £60million ($81.6m) last month, entering this window. But during discussions with Chelsea, who signed Morgan Rogers from Villa, Alejandro Garnacho was brought up, and Unai Emery decided the club should sanction a move for him, adding further difficulty to any possible deal for Mbaye.
Mbaye, centre, celebrates with Senegal team-mates after the AFCON round-of-16 match against Sudan in January (Abdel Majid Bziouat / AFP via Getty Images)
The forward had been represented by London-based agency Golden Gate, but earlier this year enlisted the services of Jorge Mendes and his agency Gestifute ahead of the summer and a potential move.
Mbaye was involved in PSG’s pre-season, scoring in a 1-1 friendly draw against Manchester United, but he was an unused substitute in the French side’s 2-1 UEFA Super Cup victory over Aston Villa. The forward, alongside team-mate Bradley Barcola — who is also at the centre of transfer speculation — was then left out of the squad that was beaten 1-0 by Lens in the Trophee des Champions.
His future may be uncertain, but his talent is not, and that is why he is an enticing prospect. If his time at PSG is over, many will be keeping an eye on which club his development continues at.
