Liverpool are expected to tie up a signing from Paris Saint-Germain – and it's not Bradley Barcola.
Barcola has been a primary target for the Reds since the start of the transfer window, following Mohamed Salah leaving Liverpool after nine years – and now, according to RMC Sport, a move for Senegalese striker Ibrahim Mbaye is “expected” to reach an agreement.
The report suggests that this will be a “historic” summer in terms of sales from the European champions, with Paris Saint-Germain having already trousered nearly €150 million from to the sales of Kang-in Lee to Atletico Madrid, Goncalo Ramos to Milan, and Randal Kolo Muani to Juventus.
Ibrahim Mbaye close to Liverpool move - with Bayer Leverkusen circling, too
Mbaye has two years left on his current Paris Saint-Germain deal and is a highly-rated striker in French football – but with plenty of competition for places in attack and Les Parisiens hoping to land an A-list attacker in the shape of Julian Alvarez or Yan Diomande earlier in the window, a pathway for the 18-year-old to be regularly starting for manager Luis Enrique looks to be a little hazy.
The Senegalese is valued at anywhere between €35-45 million – but with interest from Bayer Leverkusen, too, Liverpool are in a battle for his signature.
Canal+ journalist Olivier Talleron has claimed in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that the Bundesliga side have the edge of Liverpool at this stage, in contrast to RMC Sport's report, with the latter claiming that Mbaye is interested by the prospect of developing on Merseyside.
They also note that despite discussions continuing for Barcelona to move to Anfield, “the two sides are currently far apart” in their valuations of the French international.
“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,” they state.
FourFourTwo understands that the Mbaye pursuit is a separate deal from Barcola and not necessarily an alternative, with the Frenchman more of a left-winger and the Senegalese primarily an option on the right wing.
Both players can play on both flanks – and up front – with new signing Victor Munoz, Florian Wirtz, Cody Gakpo, Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike all players who can play on the left, too.
It's uncertain just yet as to which any of those options will play on the left, up front or behind the striker, and whether any will play on the right – or whether that spot will be filled by the likes of Jeremie Frimpong or Dominik Szoboszlai, who played there last season.
While Bournemouth manager, Iraola was no stranger to playing a right-footed right-winger, or a left-footer on the left, with Alex Jimenez used on the right for swathes of last season before Marcus Tavernier became first-choice on the left towards the end of the season.
Mbaye is worth €30m, according to Transfermarkt. Liverpool kick off their Premier League campaign against Newcastle United when the new season begins.
