Aston Villa Secures £47m Deal for PSG Winger Ibrahim Mbaye
Aston Villa have reached a verbal agreement with Paris Saint-Germain to sign highly rated winger Ibrahim Mbaye in a deal worth around £47m, as Unai Emery continues a ruthless reshaping of his squad.
The 18-year-old, who operates predominantly from the right, becomes the latest piece in a rapidly changing Villa frontline, signed after the club missed out on AC Milan forward Rafa Leao, who is joining Galatasaray. Villa had tracked Mbaye for months, with Liverpool also exploring a move earlier in the summer before turning their attention to his PSG teammate Bradley Barcola.
Mbaye made 24 Ligue 1 appearances for PSG last season, scoring three times and providing two assists. Raw, quick, direct – he fits the profile Emery has been leaning towards: players with “huge potential” to grow alongside a thinning core of established names.
A squad torn apart, then rebuilt
This has been no gentle refresh. It has been a clear break.
Youri Tielemans, Morgan Rogers, Ezri Konsa and Lucas Digne have all gone. The spine that helped drive Villa into the upper reaches of the Premier League has been pulled apart. Ollie Watkins and Emiliano Martinez also look set to leave, stripping the side of its leading goalscorer and World Cup-winning goalkeeper in the same window.
In their place, Villa have moved aggressively. Alejandro Garnacho, Johan Manzambi, Leon Goretzka, Joao Gomes, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Matteo Ruggeri have all arrived. A deal is already in place for Nicolas Jackson from Chelsea. Now Mbaye is set to join that influx.
The dressing room Emery inherited has almost vanished. The one he wants is arriving at speed.
Emery’s cold logic
Speaking ahead of Villa’s trip to Arsenal on Monday Night Football, Emery laid out the thinking behind the upheaval as Deadline Day on September 1 looms.
“We took some decisions because it's good for the club. We tried to compete as good as possible, but some situations are clear,” he said. “It's the right way and decision. We don't want to be a club to sell players, but our responsibility is there. For the club it's a good deal.
“It's not changing our priorities to be competitive. We must be the same. Strong development with the players.
“I am confident and positive. The players we are signing are good players. We need to get balance with experience and players with huge potential.”
He knows what this looks like from the outside: a successful side dismantled, key figures moved on, youth and new faces thrown into the fire. But Emery has lived this cycle before.
“Of course, I want to keep some players, the ones who help us to be successful. But I accept it because I have experience before in the same situation.
“I expect to continue to do special and different ways. The objective is to get progressively in the same way. We will need time.”
Time is the one thing a Premier League manager is rarely given. Emery is betting that the talent he is assembling will buy him some.
Watkins out, Jackson in
The most emotional break came with Watkins. The striker, who has been central to Villa’s resurgence, is set to join Al Hilal in a £50m deal after missing the defeat to Brighton.
Emery confirmed the move and revealed a final, human moment between the pair.
“Watkins said sorry after Brighton. He made a mistake. He always had good behaviour in the club and with me. He's a fantastic guy. I told him 'bye', with a huge hug and a small cry.
“Now it's a new chapter with Nicolas Jackson. Of course, all the best for him in Saudi. We are replacing him.”
Jackson’s £65m move from Chelsea is close to completion after his medical on Thursday. Emery wants him available immediately. Asked if the forward would be signed in time to face Arsenal on Monday, he replied: “Hopefully.”
That word hangs over more than just Jackson’s registration. It hangs over the entire project.
Mbaye, Jackson, Garnacho, Goretzka, Gomes – a new attacking structure is forming, fast. The question now is simple: can Emery weld this many changes into a team that still frightens the Premier League, or has Villa gambled its momentum on potential?
