Man City want 'next Kylian Mbappe' - and it's bad news for Liverpool

17 Jul 2026 13:56 BST | 4 min read

Cameron Smith | Digital Content Producer

Accredited sports journalist covering football since 2020

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Manchester City have reportedly joined the race to sign Paris Saint-Germain winger Ibrahim Mbaye and a move to the Etihad Stadium could be catastrophic news for Liverpool.

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Mbaye, 18, made 30 first-team appearances for PSG last season, but he only started one match en route to their second consecutive Champions League triumph, and competition for places is expected to increase amid the club’s interest in Yan Diomande and Maghnes Akliouche.

Current ETV

Ibrahim Mbaye

F, AM (R)

PSG

Ibrahim Mbaye

F, AM (R)

PSG

ETV Range

€29M - €35.4M

The Senegal international, who scored against France at the World Cup, is keen to leave PSG this summer, as confirmed by Fabrizio Romano, and he has emerged as a target for Aston Villa, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Tottenham Hotspur in recent weeks.

That is according to French publication Foot Mercato, who have also revealed that Man City have added Mbaye to their list of summer targets as they prepare for the potential departure of Savinho.

Mbaye, who has previously been hailed as PSG's 'next Kylian Mbappe', scored three goals and provided two assists for PSG last term, and with just two years remaining on his current contract at the Parc des Princes, Luis Enrique’s side are understood to be open to a potential sale.

Man City have already bolstered their attacking roster with the signings of Mathys Detourbet and Jeremy Monga this summer, but the former has immediately been sent on loan to AS Monaco and the latter is still only 16 years old and is likely to either feature for their U21 side next year or be loaned out.

As a result, City's interest in Mbaye perhaps isn’t a huge surprise, although it will come as a hammer blow for Liverpool, who have earmarked his PSG team-mate Bradley Barcola as a top summer target following the departure of Mohamed Salah.

© IMAGO - Ibrahim Mbaye is on Man City's transfer radar

Ibrahim Mbaye to Man City would be a huge blow for Liverpool

With the aforementioned Diomande widely expected to join PSG, Liverpool have turned their attention to Barcola amid their pursuit of a new winger ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.

The France superstar is regarded as a primary target by Andoni Iraola’s side, however PSG are highly unlikely to permit an exit if Mbaye leaves the club to join Man City.

Enrique used Ligue 1 to rotate his squad last season and this plan worked perfectly as PSG managed to win the French top flight with relative ease, despite rarely ever selecting their best starting XI.

This ensured their star players were fresh for the latter stages of the Champions League and as this strategy has worked flawlessly for two consecutive seasons, the Parisians will be reluctant to reduce their playing squad by permitting both Mbaye and Barcola to depart.

So, if the former joins Man City this summer, it could significantly impact Liverpool’s bid to sign Barcola as Salah's replacement.

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