Man City 'likely' to beat Aston Villa to signing of Jorge Mendes' marquee client
Manchester City are challenging Aston Villa for the signing of Ibrahim Mbaye and will be the favourites to get a deal over the line.
That is according to former senior Villa scout, Bryan King, speaking exclusively to Football Insider.
The 18-year-old is a target this summer, with interest set to step up following Morgan Rogers' £117million move to Chelsea.
Villa are also targeting Alejandro Garnacho and have already sent an opening offer, although it remains unclear if they want if both.
Mbaye scored three goals and provided two assists for PSG last season but is reportedly pushing for an exit, with his contract due to expire in 2028.
The winger also featured for Senegal at the World Cup, scoring a superb goal against France in the group stage.
Villa insider shares what he's heard about Ibrahim Mbaye
Mbaye initially made his breakthrough for PSG in the 2024-25 season, scoring his first Ligue 1 goal in March last year.
Last season, he was far more involved, making 10 league starts and 24 appearances, scoring three goals and providing two assists.
The talent is rapid and extremely skilful, with clubs across Europe likely monitoring the situation.
Villa have hoped to jump the queue, however, and are capable of offering plenty of minutes on the wing.
However, competition for Mbaye's signature has appeared. "They're talking about Manchester City replacing him [Savinho] with the boy from Paris Saint-Germain," King told Football Insider.
"Mbaye. They're saying that Manchester City could bring him in. From what I am told, Manchester City will be favourites.
"One young player going out, another young player coming in. And his agent, Mbaye's agent, is the famous Jorge Mendes."
Who is Jorge Mendes?
Mendes is a super agent, with some of the sport's biggest names on his books.
Lamine Yamal, Vitinha, Joao Neves, Bradley Barcola and many more fall under his watch, and that can mean many things.
What it almost certainly means is that there will significant agent involvement in his client's ultimate decision, with agent fees often in mind.
Villa do not currently have a single Mendes client on their books, but will hope to add the first with Mbaye.