Liverpool Target PSG Starlet Ibrahim Mbaye as Barcola Talks Stall
Liverpool’s post‑Mohamed Salah rebuild is taking shape in an unexpected direction – and not the one most people had circled in red at the start of the summer.
Bradley Barcola has dominated the conversation for weeks, the headline name identified to help fill the void left by Salah’s departure after nine years at Anfield. Yet as negotiations over the French winger drag on and valuations remain miles apart, attention on Merseyside has sharpened on a different Paris Saint‑Germain talent: Ibrahim Mbaye.
According to RMC Sport, Liverpool are now “expected” to reach an agreement for the 18‑year‑old Senegalese forward, as PSG continue what is being framed in France as a historic summer of outgoing deals. The European 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. Mbaye could be the next to go.
A crowded PSG attack, a blocked pathway
Mbaye has two years left on his PSG contract and carries a reputation inside French football as one of the most promising young strikers of his generation. The problem for him is simple: the queue in front of him is long, and the club’s ambitions remain ruthless.
Luis Enrique already juggles a crowded forward line, and PSG’s hierarchy have been pursuing another marquee attacker, with Julian Alvarez and Yan Diomande among the high‑end options explored earlier in the window. For an 18‑year‑old hoping to play regularly rather than cameo off the bench, the route to a starting place in Paris looks murky.
That’s where Liverpool – and Bayer Leverkusen – come in.
Liverpool vs Leverkusen for Mbaye
Mbaye is valued in the €35–45 million bracket, a price that reflects both his potential and the market’s inflation for young, versatile forwards. Liverpool want him. So do Bayer Leverkusen. The battle is real.
Canal+ journalist Olivier Tallaron has suggested on X that the Bundesliga champions currently hold the edge in the race, painting Leverkusen as slightly ahead of the Premier League side. RMC Sport, though, offers a different angle, reporting that Mbaye is attracted by the idea of developing at Liverpool and testing himself in English football.
Two leagues. Two compelling projects. One teenager in the middle of it.
Barcola talks “far apart” – but not dead
All of this unfolds against the backdrop of the long‑running Barcola chase. Liverpool’s interest in the France international is genuine and ongoing, but the numbers are daunting.
RMC Sport state that PSG want more than €150 million for Barcola, a figure Liverpool have no intention of touching. The gap is described as significant, with “the two sides currently far apart” on valuation. Any deal will require compromise, and at this stage there is no sign of either club blinking.
Crucially, though, Barcola and Mbaye are not being treated as either‑or. FourFourTwo understands the Mbaye move is a separate pursuit, not a fallback option if Barcola proves unattainable. The profiles are different: Barcola is primarily a left‑winger, Mbaye more naturally operates from the right.
Both can switch flanks. Both can play through the middle. That flexibility is part of the attraction.
Fitting into Liverpool’s attacking puzzle
Liverpool’s forward options already look crowded on paper. Victor Munoz, Florian Wirtz, Cody Gakpo, Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike are all comfortable starting on the left. The question is less about numbers and more about balance.
Who plays off the left? Who leads the line? Who operates off the right – the zone Salah owned for nearly a decade?
Last season, Jeremie Frimpong and Dominik Szoboszlai both spent time on the right side, offering different interpretations of the role. The coaching staff are open to asymmetry in wide areas: at Bournemouth, Andoni Iraola regularly used a right‑footer on the right and a left‑footer on the left, with Alex Jimenez and Marcus Tavernier rotated to stretch and pin full‑backs.
Drop Mbaye into that context and the picture sharpens. A right‑sided forward, young enough to mould, quick enough to threaten in behind, versatile enough to switch roles during games. Barcola, if he comes, would tilt the left. Mbaye would give the right a new, raw edge.
Liverpool know they cannot recreate Salah. They can, however, reimagine the front line.
For now, the numbers, the negotiations and the noise swirl around Paris. If the deal lands on Merseyside, the real questions begin: is Ibrahim Mbaye the next big Anfield project, or the first bold gamble of a very different Liverpool era?
