Touted Aston Villa transfer target and Paris Saint-Germain starlet Ibrahim Mbaye is reportedly keen to leave the French giants this summer.
The 18-year-old has come through the youth ranks with the reigning Ligue 1 champions and Champions League winners, and after impressing for the U19s, he has since gone on to score four goals and provide four assists in 42 appearances at senior level.
Further, he represented Senegal at the World Cup this summer, and has four goals in 15 caps for his country as he undoubtedly looks to have a bright future ahead of him if he can continue to develop and improve his game.
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According to Footmercato reporters Santi Aouna and Sebastien Denis, Mbaye is said to want to leave PSG this summer despite his representatives advising against it, and it’s specifically noted by the former that Villa are very interested but will face competition for his signature should an exit materialise.
Meanwhile, Denis reiterates that the talented youngster wants to move on as he is set for a bit-part role next season as Luis Enrique continues to strengthen his attacking options, and so Mbaye could be on the move in search of a more prominent role elsewhere.
He adds that Villa are the ‘hottest team in the race’ currently, as this certainly isn’t the first time that we’ve linked with a potential swoop for the winger.
Capable of playing on either flank and with the technical quality, pace and creativity to provide us with a crucial threat in wide areas, Mbaye has the profile of player that we’re currently missing in the squad and so it’s easy to see why we would be interested in adding a fresh dynamic to our attack.
Further, given he’s only 18 years of age still, he will likely have significant re-sale value if that became a pressing matter further down the line, and so it’s an intriguing and exciting potential move from Villa if we now decide to step up our pursuit and try to find an agreement.
As noted above, other clubs are interested in Mbaye, and so if he really is a priority transfer target for us, we’ll need to move quickly to try and get a deal done as we await Villa’s transfer business to spark into life this summer with incomings and outgoings expected ahead of next season.