Liverpool Target Ibrahim Mbaye Gains Momentum After Dortmund Bid

Liverpool’s pursuit of Ibrahim Mbaye has just been handed a significant boost – thanks to a record-breaking bid from Borussia Dortmund for someone else.

Dortmund go all-in on El Mala

The German club have launched a €55m offer to Köln for Said El Mala, according to Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg. If Köln accept, El Mala would become Dortmund’s most expensive signing in their history, with the teenager already having agreed personal terms.

It is a statement move. El Mala was widely viewed as one of the standout teenagers in the Bundesliga last season, second only to Yan Diomande. His campaign for Köln was outstanding, his influence obvious even in a struggling side, and in any other year he would likely have dominated the headlines.

Dortmund see him as a priority. They want him in the door first. Only if that failed were they expected to seriously push for Ibrahim Mbaye.

Liverpool left in pole position

That is where Liverpool come in. The Reds have been working on a deal for Mbaye from Paris Saint-Germain, with the 17-year-old widely regarded as one of the most exciting attacking prospects of his age group.

Clubs across Europe have been circling. Dortmund were among the most serious, drawn as always to a high-upside development project, and Mbaye fits that profile perfectly. But if they land El Mala for a club-record fee, a second major investment in the same area of the pitch is highly unlikely.

That scenario would leave Liverpool effectively out on their own at the front of the queue for Mbaye.

A long-term Salah heir?

Mbaye’s profile makes the excitement around Anfield easy to understand. Operating from the right, he carries the kind of one‑v‑one threat and technical quality that clubs dream of moulding at elite level. There is also the tantalising idea of a natural partnership with Rio Ngumoha emerging over the next few years.

No one inside Liverpool expects an instant Mohamed Salah replacement. That is not how this works. But as a long-term project, Mbaye has the tools to grow into that role in his own way, on his own timeline.

If Dortmund complete the El Mala deal, Liverpool’s path to securing him suddenly looks far clearer.

The next move is PSG’s – and then, potentially, Mbaye’s.