Liverpool Turns to Ibrahim Mbaye Amid Barcola Pursuit

Liverpool’s summer-long pursuit of Bradley Barcola has taken a twist, with the club now agreeing terms with another Paris Saint-Germain forward – and it is Ibrahim Mbaye, not the World Cup star, who has moved to the front of the queue.

The Reds have been locked in talks over Barcola for weeks, wary of PSG’s stance as the French champions hold out for a nine-figure fee. That price has made Liverpool pause. They have a contract agreed with Barcola, but not the deal that really matters: one with his club.

So they have opened a second door.

Mbaye deal lined up as Liverpool hedge their bets

RMC Sport report that Liverpool have now agreed terms on a five-year contract with Mbaye, the highly rated Senegalese teenager who has been on their radar throughout the window. Barcola remains in play, the negotiations are not dead, but Liverpool are refusing to pin their entire attacking rebuild on one complicated deal.

Instead, they are pressing ahead with Mbaye as well.

Both forwards come from the same PSG frontline that has been reshaped at speed this summer. Goncalo Ramos has been allowed to leave for Ruben Amorim’s Milan. Ferran Torres, a World Cup final hero, has arrived, as has Ajax starlet Mika Godts, another attacker added to Luis Enrique’s growing arsenal.

Last season, PSG’s first-choice trio of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Desire Doue and Ousmane Dembele carried much of the scoring load, combining for 52 goals in all competitions. Barcola chipped in with 13. Mbaye managed three.

Those numbers only tell part of the story. Barcola actually made more appearances across Ligue 1, the Coupe de France and the Champions League than any other PSG attacker, yet still spent most of the campaign as a backup. Mbaye’s role was even more limited. Enrique stuck to a clear formula when it mattered most, trusting his preferred three and using the youngsters as impact options.

Even Dembele, a marquee name, started just 10 league games for the eventual French champions. PSG have doubled down on that rotation model this summer, stockpiling depth to protect their stars for the defining European nights.

Premier League pull and a new Liverpool hierarchy

Against that backdrop, both Barcola and Mbaye see the Premier League as a clearer path. FourFourTwo understands that each is keen on a move to England, where Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool offer opportunity and slightly less suffocating competition for minutes than at PSG’s star-studded frontline.

Liverpool’s need is obvious. Mohamed Salah, the club’s modern icon on the right, departed in the summer, leaving a gaping hole in Iraola’s attack. So far, the club have only moved for Spanish winger Victor Munoz to reinforce the forward line.

On the left, though, the picture looks crowded. Munoz can operate there, as can Rio Ngumoha, Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz. Iraola is not short of options cutting in from that flank.

The right is different. That is where Mbaye comes into focus.

If Liverpool can finally force a breakthrough with PSG over Barcola, they will land one of Europe’s most coveted young wide forwards. If they cannot, they already have an agreement in place with Mbaye and a profile that fits a glaring need.

Either way, with Salah gone and Iraola reshaping the attack, Liverpool are not waiting around for Paris to make up their mind.