Liverpool Boosted in Ibrahim Mbaye Pursuit After Dortmund's Big Bid
Liverpool’s pursuit of Paris Saint-Germain prodigy Ibrahim Mbaye has been handed a major boost – thanks to a record-breaking bid in Germany for someone else entirely.
Dortmund go all-in on El Mala
Borussia Dortmund have launched a huge move for Said El Mala, the Köln sensation who lit up the Bundesliga last season. According to Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, Dortmund have submitted an offer of €55 million to Köln, with the teenager already understood to have agreed personal terms.
If Köln accept, El Mala will become the most expensive signing in Dortmund’s history. No player has ever commanded a bigger fee from the club.
It underlines just how highly they rate him. El Mala was widely viewed as one of the standout teenagers in the Bundesliga last season, second only to Yan Diomande in terms of impact. His campaign for Köln was outstanding, and without Diomande stealing so many headlines, El Mala’s reputation would almost certainly be even louder across Europe.
Dortmund, renowned for turning raw potential into elite-level stars, see El Mala as their next big development project. Crucially, he is also the alternative to another target: Ibrahim Mbaye.
Liverpool eye clear run at Mbaye
Liverpool have been pushing to sign Mbaye from PSG, with the 17-year-old widely regarded as one of the most exciting young attacking talents in Europe. The winger’s blend of pace, technique and composure has marked him out as a player who could rise to the very top of the game.
There is a natural intrigue around how he might one day dovetail with fellow prospect Rio Ngumoha. Within Liverpool circles, Mbaye is viewed as the kind of right-sided attacker who could, over time, grow into the role currently owned by Mohamed Salah. Not as an instant successor, but as a long-term project with genuinely elite upside.
Liverpool and Dortmund had both been in the race, with recent reports suggesting the Premier League side had forced their way to the front of the queue, closely shadowed by the Bundesliga club.
Now the landscape is shifting.
If Dortmund complete the El Mala deal, it is seen as highly unlikely they will then commit a similarly large fee to also sign Mbaye. A €55m outlay represents a major swing for them; matching that with another sizeable move for a second teenage attacker would be a huge stretch.
That scenario would leave Liverpool effectively out on their own, in pole position to land the Senegalese star.
For Liverpool, it’s a significant development. While nothing is signed yet and negotiations with PSG still need to be concluded, the biggest rival in this particular chase looks ready to cash in its chips elsewhere.
Mbaye may now be edging closer to Anfield – and Liverpool know opportunities like this, with a talent like that, do not come around often.
