Aston Villa’s interest in signing AC Milan’s standout player Rafael Leao has practically concluded after a significant advancement in talks for Paris Saint-Germain’s young talent, Ibrahim Mbaye.
According to reporting from David Ornstein of The Athletic, the West Midlands club has established a verbal agreement to secure the 18-year-old attacker for a transfer fee totaling €55 million (£46.5 million).
The close rapport between PSG chief Nasser Al-Khelaifi and Villa’s co-owner Nassef Sawiris reportedly played a crucial role in finalizing the deal, and the last administrative steps are now being processed.
Rafael Leao’s move to Aston Villa collapses as the PSG prospect prepares to join
Over the past few days, Villa had positioned themselves as strong candidates to land Leao. Reports from Sky Sports and Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio indicated that manager Unai Emery had personally spoken with the Portuguese winger to outline his plans for the team.
Nonetheless, committing €55m to Mbaye, who also plays on the left wing, suggests that the club has designated their main target for the future, effectively ending any potential move for Leao.
The signing of Mbaye occurs during a highly active and chaotic summer transition period for the Premier League side.
After a major player clearance that resulted in the exits of key players from their Europa League-winning campaign—such as Morgan Rogers, Lucas Digne, Ezri Konsa, and Youri Tielemans—Emery is under pressure to reconstruct his squad while adhering to tight financial regulations.
With unresolved questions regarding the status of Ollie Watkins and goalie Emiliano Martinez, securing incoming signings became a top priority for the club.
Villa has engaged in intermittent discussions with Mbaye over several months, having pinpointed him as a key target some time ago.
Although conversations stalled previously and the player considered alternative paths, talks accelerated rapidly as the transfer deadline neared. Consequently, the young Senegalese international is poised to complete his Premier League transfer, effectively putting the Leao speculation to rest.
