The main chatter in the Liverpool sphere is surrounding PSG player Bradley Barcola and the club’s interest in bringing him to Anfield. However, buried in all of that is the rumour that teenage Senegalese national player Ibrahim Mbaye is also on their radar.
Some say Mbaye isn’t Liverpool’s “number one” pick for winger, while other French publications have declared an opening bid for the 18-year-old is imminent. L’Equipe say that negotiations separate from any potential Barcola deal will begin next
week between Liverpool and PSG for Mbaye. This all part of the transfer Tetris that is played every summer. PSG have acquired both World Cup winner Ferran Torres and Mika Godts, which makes it more amenable to losing Barcola and Mbaye. Similarly, if Liverpool get these two players in, then it might allow Cody Gakpo to leave.
It’s unknown what the initial bid could look like for Mbaye, if it does indeed materialize, but the French outfit are said to only be looking to sell the youngster for around £42.7m. If that comes to pass along with the reported £128m they are asking for Barcola, Liverpool could potentially be shelling out nearly a cool £200m to PSG alone.
Of course, they are not the only club interested in Mbaye, with the likes of Manchester United, Bayern Munich, and Porto all making inquiries for the player this summer.
The Premier League season begins next weekend, with Liverpool travelling to take on Newcastle United in the opener. Most fans were likely hoping to see new boss Andoni Iraola given time to bed in any new recruits before kicking off. However the World Cup seems to have hindered the transfer committee’s opportunities. The big push is to try to replace Mohamed Salah’s presence on the wing. It remains to be seen what business they can accomplish in the time left for them.
