Ex-Aston Villa scout has one big 'question' about Ibrahim Mbaye
Aston Villa must ask themselves why PSG were willing to let Ibrahim Mbaye leave the club this summer.
That is the opinion of former senior Villa scout, Bryan King, speaking exclusively to Football Insider.
The 18-year-old has arrived at Villa Park in a deal worth around £47million, with official confirmation arriving on transfer deadline day.
Mbaye was chased by Liverpool for much of the summer transfer window and is recognised as a major talent, having already made 42 senior appearances for PSG at such a young age.
The winger had another two years remaining on his contract, but it appears that talks over a new deal had hit an impasse.
PSG also sanctioned the sale of Bradley Barcola in the final days of the window, agreeing to sell him to Liverpool for £123m.
Bryan King questions Ibrahim Mbaye move
Mbaye scored three goals and provided three assists across all competitions for PSG last season, but it was likely the World Cup that propelled him towards the attention of the Premier League.
The 18-year-old featured in all of Senegal's matches, coming off the bench in all but one of them.
It was a moment against France that caught the eye. Picking up the ball on the right, the winger drove towards Theo Hernandez and sat the defender on his backside before smashing the ball past Mike Maignan.
Scouts undoubtedly took notice and Villa have ultimately won the race for Mbaye, but there are question marks.
"He's only 18. I mean, there you've got a situation. They're paying £55m and that's plus, I presume there'd be plus, plus, plus on that," King told Football Insider.
"Add-ons, etc. He's only 18, remember? Then you start to question why would they want to sell him? Because I can't imagine they need money.
"Not with the people who own that football club. It could be a very good signing. I mean, they let [Kylian] Mbappe go, didn't they? And they knew this kid's coming up."
Aston Villa taking Mbaye risk
There is no doubt about it - Villa have spent big money on Mbaye in the hope that he will one day be worth double the money.
While the winger has shown huge promise already, as with any young player, there is every chance that he will ultimately fail to live up to his potential.
Luckily, in Unai Emery, Villa have a manager with a track record of improving young players.
Nicolas Jackson, who has also joined Villa this summer, and Morgan Rogers are just two of the youngsters to have improved exponentially under the Spaniard. It is hoped that Mbaye will be the next.