Liverpool Target PSG Starlet Ibrahim Mbaye for Wing Revamp

Liverpool have sounded out a deal for Paris Saint-Germain teenager Ibrahim Mbaye, testing the waters for a winger many inside the game see as one of Africa’s most exciting young forwards.

The 18-year-old, who operates mainly off the right, is understood to be open to a move to Anfield as the club rebuilds its attack in the post-Mohamed Salah era. Liverpool have checked the conditions of a potential transfer and placed Mbaye firmly on a shortlist of wide players, with the position a clear priority in this window.

Five-winger plan under Iraola

Andoni Iraola has made his intentions obvious. He wants his wide players front and centre of his philosophy, and Liverpool are planning to finish the window with five wingers in the squad – one of them a younger project player to develop over time.

Mbaye fits that profile almost perfectly. Quick, direct and already hardened by elite-level exposure with club and country, he offers upside without demanding immediate star billing. Liverpool’s recruitment team are exploring whether he can be that developmental option while still contributing now.

Victor Munoz has already arrived on Merseyside this summer, but the club’s work out wide is far from done. The need is sharpened by Salah’s departure at the end of last season, a loss that leaves a void not just in goals and assists, but in how Liverpool attack from the right flank. Mbaye’s natural tendency to start on that side makes him a particularly attractive candidate.

Barcola interest – and a financial reality check

Liverpool’s gaze has not stopped at Mbaye. They also hold strong interest in his PSG team-mate Bradley Barcola. At this stage, though, there has been no formal offer for either player.

Crucially, the pursuit of Mbaye is independent of any potential move for Barcola. The club are not treating him as a back-up or a makeweight in a larger plan. If the numbers work, Liverpool could move for Mbaye and still try to add a more experienced winger on top.

That second deal will not be easy. PSG’s £145m valuation of Barcola is a major obstacle and makes any agreement extremely complicated. In contrast, Mbaye represents a more realistic route into the PSG talent pool, a way to inject youth and dynamism without smashing transfer records.

From PSG prodigy to World Cup history-maker

Mbaye is no unknown quantity. He has come through the PSG youth system and made his senior debut in August 2024, stepping into one of the most demanding dressing rooms in European football as a 16-year-old.

Internationally, his path has been just as striking. Having represented France at youth level, Mbaye chose Senegal and made his senior debut in November 2025. Months later, he was on the biggest stage of all.

At the 2026 World Cup, he wrote his name into the record books. In Senegal’s 3-1 defeat to France, Mbaye scored at the age of 18 years and 143 days, becoming the youngest African player ever to find the net at the tournament. In a game dominated by the reigning world champions, he still managed to carve out a moment that will follow him for the rest of his career.

That blend of youth, pedigree and big-tournament experience is exactly what appeals to Liverpool. This is not a raw prospect plucked from obscurity; this is a teenager who has already handled the weight of a World Cup and the expectations of PSG.

A new right flank for a new era

Liverpool’s recruitment strategy under Iraola is clear: refresh the wings, stretch the pitch, and build an attacking unit that can evolve over the next cycle. Mbaye, at 18, fits the long-term vision while offering the kind of pace and directness that can trouble Premier League defences immediately.

The club’s plan to carry five wingers suggests a relentless, rotation-heavy approach out wide. If Liverpool can strike the right deal with PSG, Mbaye could arrive into a set-up designed to let young attackers run, press and grow.

The question now is simple: will Liverpool push hard enough to turn interest into action before the window closes, or will one of Europe’s other giants try to snatch away the youngest African ever to score at a World Cup?