Liverpool’s Interest in Ibrahim Mbaye Stalls Amid Rebuild

Liverpool’s interest in Ibrahim Mbaye has hit a standstill just as the club’s attacking rebuild reaches a critical point.

The Senegal winger, admired by several top European sides, has been on Liverpool’s radar this summer, but senior figures at Anfield insist the enquiry has gone no further. According to The Athletic’s Andy Jones, Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen are among the clubs to have explored a deal, yet claims that the Reds have already agreed personal terms with the 18-year-old are being firmly dismissed inside the club.

So, for now, there is interest. But no agreement. No negotiations at an advanced stage.

Price, priorities and a crowded to-do list

Mbaye is not a cheap project. Paris Saint-Germain are understood to value him at around £43 million, a figure that forces a broader question: how much are Liverpool actually prepared to commit to an additional wide forward if they land Bradley Barcola?

Barcola himself would command a huge fee, potentially north of £120 million this summer. If that deal is pushed over the line, Liverpool’s room for manoeuvre in the market shrinks quickly, especially with multiple attacking needs still on the list.

Inside and outside the club, there is a growing sense that one new forward will not be enough. Two feels like a minimum. Three would be ideal: two wingers and a central striker to ease the load on Alexander Isak across a long, punishing season.

That is the backdrop to the Mbaye question. He is not the only option, but he sits in the price bracket where value and potential still intersect in a market that has lost all sense of proportion.

A winger built for Liverpool’s blueprint

On the pitch, Mbaye looks like a tailored fit for what Liverpool want from a modern winger.

Jones’ analysis highlights a profile that jumps off the page: Mbaye uses his acceleration and sharp turning to escape pressure, not invite contact. He prefers to glide past opponents rather than wrestle with them. When he drives forward with the ball, the outcome is usually a chance created for a teammate rather than a shot for himself.

That matters. If Liverpool are ready to shift the bulk of the goalscoring burden onto a central forward, the wide players must become high-volume providers. Facilitators. Players who live in the half-spaces, break lines, and feed runners.

Mbaye ticks those boxes, even if he does so in pencil rather than ink at this stage of his career. He is 18, still raw, still learning. The price tag feels heavy for someone so unproven, but this is the reality of the current market. When the ceiling is as high as scouts believe, £40–50 million starts to look less like a gamble and more like an early investment.

Better, some at Liverpool might argue, to bring that development in-house than watch him explode in value at a rival willing to give him minutes and patience.

Twelve days to decide

For now, Liverpool’s stance is clear: interest, but no active move. The expectation is that the picture will sharpen once the Barcola situation reaches a conclusion, one way or the other.

Time, though, is not on their side. The summer window closes in 12 days. The squad still looks short in attack. The market is thin. The prices are high.

Liverpool can afford to wait a little longer on Mbaye. They cannot afford to get this window wrong.