Chelsea offered €33m PSG revenge with signing of World Cup star

6 Jun 2026 18:02 BST | 5 min read

Tom Weber | Writer

Multilingual sports writer who specialises in European football and American soccer.

PSG bluntly dismissed Chelsea's interest in Ibrahim Mbaye in January, but it is the Blues who could soon have the last laugh.

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The 18-year-old experienced a mixed season in Paris. Despite the fact that he is already a two-time Champions League winner at such a young age, his contribution to this remarkable achievement has been minimal.

For the second season running, he did not feature at all in the knockout stages of Europe's premier competition in 2025/26. This is despite the fact that he returned to PSG with the wind in his sails after an impressive African Cup of Nations campaign.

Current ETV

Ibrahim Mbaye

F, AM (R)

PSG

Ibrahim Mbaye

F, AM (R)

PSG

ETV Range

€30M - €36.7M

The teenager was called up by Senegal and would go on to win the competition with the Lions of Teranga (before they later had the title stripped from them). Mbaye was not a starter, but he featured off the bench in all but one match at AFCON.

However, instead of taking that bounce with him back into club football, he struggled upon his return to France. The winger made just three starts in Ligue 1 in the final months of the season, scoring twice in 10 appearances.

Mbaye could leave PSG

Despite his game time struggles, he will be part of Senegal's World Cup campaign this summer. Ironically, he will face many of his PSG teammates when the Lions of the Teranga play France in the group stage.

The World Cup will give him the chance to show off his talents to a global audience and, by extension, to put himself in the shop window. A summer departure from PSG can't be ruled out at this stage.

Indeed, according to RMC, Mbaye is facing an "uncertain future" in Paris. While he is still very young, he has shown enough glimpses of talent to suggest that he should be playing a lot more.

PSG's stance on the teenager is unclear, but "several" unnamed clubs are showing an interest in him. In January, Aston Villa and Chelsea explored a late-window approach for Mbaye.

However, they were bluntly rebuffed by PSG. When reporter Florian Plettenberg asked a source at the club about the interest, he simply received a crying laughing emoji in response. The Ligue 1 giants were not entertaining bids for Mbaye.

The situation could be different this summer, with Mbaye surely keen to play more. He already has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €33.4m because his talent is so obvious. He has made 42 appearances for PSG at just 18, even if most have come off the bench.

Chelsea will surely again be among his suitors, though whether they would be prepared to spend big on him remains to be seen, considering that they want to sign more ready-made, experienced players under new manager Xabi Alonso.

Mbaye has primarily featured on the right wing, but he is right-footed, so he could also play on the opposite flank and cut inside. Chelsea could certainly use a new left-winger after the hugely disappointing seasons of summer signings Alejandro Garnacho and Jamie Gittens.

Data analytics firm SciSports believes that Mbaye has similar potential to young Blues superstar Estevao, who is a year his senior. While Chelsea are trying to move away from betting on potential, the PSG prospect could be worth gambling on.

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