Liverpool Target PSG’s Ibrahim Mbaye as Barcola Talks Stalemate
Liverpool’s first major attacking signing of the post-Mohamed Salah era may not be the name most expected.
While the spotlight has lingered on Bradley Barcola all summer, the deal gathering real momentum now is for Paris Saint-Germain’s teenage forward Ibrahim Mbaye, with an agreement “expected” according to RMC Sport.
This is not the marquee headline many imagined after Salah’s departure. It might prove just as significant.
PSG cash in – and Mbaye moves to the front of the queue
PSG are ripping through a summer of sales. The French champions have already banked close to €150 million, with Kang-in Lee heading to Atletico Madrid, Goncalo Ramos to Milan and Randal Kolo Muani to Juventus. The word out of Paris is that this window could be “historic” for outgoing business.
Mbaye, just 18, is the next name on the block.
He has two years left on his current deal and is regarded as one of the brightest young strikers in French football. The problem for him is the traffic ahead. PSG are still chasing an A-list attacker, with Julian Alvarez and Yan Diomande both in their sights earlier in the window. For a young forward trying to carve out a starting role under Luis Enrique, the path looks crowded, the minutes uncertain.
That’s where Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen step in.
Mbaye is valued between €35m and €45m. At that price, with that profile, he is not the kind of opportunity elite clubs ignore. Liverpool want him. So do Leverkusen. The race is very real.
Canal+ journalist Olivier Tallaron has claimed on X that Leverkusen currently hold the edge, suggesting the Bundesliga champions are slightly ahead in the chase. RMC Sport paint a different picture, insisting Liverpool’s project has caught Mbaye’s eye and that the prospect of developing on Merseyside strongly appeals to him.
Two narratives, one player, and a decision that could shape his next five years.
Barcola deal drags as valuations clash
All of this unfolds while the Barcola saga rumbles on in the background.
Liverpool have tracked the France international since the start of the window as a potential cornerstone of their new-look front line. But talks with PSG are stuck. RMC Sport report that “the two sides are currently far apart” in their valuations.
PSG want more than €150 million. Liverpool do not want to smash their structure for one player.
“Between the price set by the Parisian club (over €150 million) and the Reds’ desire to avoid breaking the bank, a compromise will need to be found for the deal to go through,” the outlet states. Right now, that compromise is nowhere in sight.
That financial gulf explains why Mbaye is not just a name on a list. He is a live, active pursuit.
Not either/or: how Mbaye and Barcola fit Liverpool’s attack
Crucially, this is not a simple Plan A and Plan B scenario.
FourFourTwo understands that the chase for Mbaye is a separate operation to the Barcola negotiations, not an alternative route if the latter collapses. The profiles are different. Barcola is more of a natural left-winger; Mbaye has primarily operated on the right.
Both, though, offer valuable versatility. They can play on either flank and through the middle, a trait Liverpool increasingly prize.
The current squad already carries a cluster of flexible forwards. New signing Victor Munoz, Florian Wirtz, Cody Gakpo, Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike can all operate from the left, among other roles. The question now is how those pieces are arranged.
Who starts on the left? Who leads the line? Who works in behind? And who, crucially, owns that right-hand channel Salah vacated?
Last season, Jeremie Frimpong and Dominik Szoboszlai both spent time on the right, offering different interpretations of the role. Neither is a like-for-like replacement for Salah’s blend of goals, creativity and gravity. Mbaye, raw but explosive, would give Liverpool a true wide forward profile on that side again.
A coach comfortable with wide variety
The tactical flexibility suits the man on the touchline.
During his time at Bournemouth, Andoni Iraola showed little interest in rigid, old-fashioned ideas about wingers. He happily used a right-footed player on the right or a left-footer on the left, depending on the game state and the press he wanted.
Alex Jimenez saw heavy minutes on the right for long stretches of last season. Later, Marcus Tavernier emerged as first-choice on the left, reshaping the balance of the attack as Bournemouth surged.
That willingness to adjust, to rotate, to ask different questions of opponents, feeds directly into Liverpool’s current recruitment drive. A young right-sided forward who can also shift across the line is not a luxury. It is a tactical tool.
So Liverpool push on with Mbaye. Leverkusen circle. PSG count the money and wait for the next bid.
Barcola might yet arrive if the numbers finally bend. For now, though, it is the 18-year-old Senegalese striker – not the established French international – who looks closest to stepping into the space Salah has left behind.
