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Chelsea to have the last laugh over PSG after brutal January snub
Tom Weber
- 21 Feb 2026 18:18 GMT
- 4 min read
News
Chelsea could have the last laugh when it comes to Ibrahim Mbaye after showing a January interest in the PSG star.
The Senegal international starred for his country as they won the Africa Cup of Nations and returned to Paris in high spirits. Despite only just turning 18, Mbaye already has 34 senior appearances for PSG to his name.
However, since his return, things have not gone as expected. In fact, prior to PSG's clash with Metz on Saturday evening, L'Equipe reported that Mbaye had "disappeared" - figuratively, of course.
Current ETV
Ibrahim Mbaye
F, AM (R)
PSG
Ibrahim Mbaye
F, AM (R)
PSG
ETV Range
€20.5M - €25.1M
The teenager was an unused substitute in three consecutive games against Marseille and Stade Rennais in Ligue 1 and Monaco in the Champions League. This, the outlet reports, was because he had failed to impress against Auxerre and Strasbourg after his return from AFCON.
Mbaye has reportedly struggled to get back into the daily rhythm of life in Paris and playing for PSG after his experience with the national team, which has given rise to some concerns.
Chelsea to save Mbaye?
Mbaye's situation is interesting because, towards the end of the January transfer window, it was reported that Chelsea and Aston Villa had shown a late interest in the Senegalese forward.
However, reporter Florian Plettenberg revealed that when he confronted a PSG source with this information via text message, he simply received a crying laughing emoji in response, signalling that the player would not be leaving the Parc des Princes.
At the time, FootballTransfers pointed out that it may not be as straightforward as that because of the absurd competition for attacking positions at PSG, which will ultimately decide his long-term future.
Recent matches have now shown that, despite his sky-high potential, Mbaye will struggle for consistent minutes in the French capital. This could ultimately make a transfer away inevitable, or at least advisable.
As a result, then, Chelsea may ultimately have the last laugh should they opt to reignite their interest in the future.
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