Liverpool could pull off a double swoop on Paris Saint-Germain this summer, with Bradley Barcola reportedly being joined on the Reds’ shortlist by 18-year-old Ibrahim Mbaye.
Sunday brought claims that Liverpool have enquired about Mbaye, and as they look to bolster their attacking ranks, the Senegalese would be an exciting addition.
Having said that, the Reds already have three excellent teenaged wingers at the club. There is a danger that in bringing Mbaye in as well, Josh Abe and Kieran Morrison could have their pathways to the first-team blocked on the right wing.
How high should Liverpool go to sign Bradley Barcola from PSG?
Maybe Liverpool would be better off signing two or three €50m players…
Rio Ngumoha‘s future at Liverpool is much more secure, but if Barcola and Mbaye come in, the 17-year-old could start to question the direction of the forward line as well.
So, as Liverpool look into the signing of Mbaye, how do Liverpool’s trio of promising young wide talents stack up against PSG’s?
Mbaye is more experienced than any of Liverpool’s youngsters
Given how stacked PSG are in forward areas, it is no surprise that Mbaye is looking to find a new club in order to play more regularly.
However, despite being behind the likes of Kvicha Kvaratskhelia, Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue and Barcola for game time, the Senegal international has still played a decent amount of football for Luis Enrique.
READ MORE: Liverpool hint that their attacking signings will not end with Bradley Barcola and Victor Munoz
After breaking through ahead of the 2024/25 campaign, Mbaye played 10 times that season, following that up with 32 appearances in 2025/26.
That included 10 starts in Ligue 1, where he racked up an impressive 997 minutes across 24 matches.
Mbaye is also experienced at international level and, having already appeared at AFCON and the World Cup, he has 15 caps for Senegal, which have brought four goals. Not 19 until next January, he is a bona fide wonderkid.
Ngumoha is closest to Mbaye’s numbers
Obviously, Ngumoha is the Liverpool youngster who is closest to Mbaye in terms of senior experience.
Still, just eight months younger than the PSG starlet, Liverpool’s No. 73 has 12 first-team appearances less, after playing 30 times for the Reds. On the international scene, Ngumoha has one cap for England, bringing his total to 31.
There is a big difference in terms of minutes played as well, with Ngumoha racking up 551 in the Premier League, making five starts and a further 14 appearances from the bench in 25/26.
For Morrison and Abe, they are a long way behind both Mbaye and Ngumoha. In Abe’s case, that is understandable. He only turned 16 two weeks ago, and there are very, very few players who have played any kind of senior football at his age.
Morrison’s, however, is a different case. Born in November 2006, the Northern Irishman is more than one year older than Mbaye and almost two older than Ngumoha. To have made only two senior Liverpool appearances, plus one for Northern Ireland, means Morrison is playing catch-up.
How many goals has each player scored?
Having played more football than any of Liverpool’s trio of youngsters, it is no surprise that Mbaye has also scored more than any of them. The PSG man has four goals for PSG and four more for Senegal.
Ngumoha has found the net twice for Liverpool, recording 0.33 goals per 90 minutes in the Premier League last season. That was still below Mbaye, who had an impressive 0.58 goals per 90 strike rate.
Clearly, Abe is yet to find the net at senior level, while Morrison has barely played enough to do so either. The 19-year-old did score during Liverpool’s opening friendly of pre-season, though, and has been prolific at U21 level, so the signs are good that he can translate up to men’s football.
Liverpool should promote Abe and Morrison over signing Mbaye
After comparing these four young talents on paper, it is perhaps easy to see why Liverpool would still want to sign Mbaye despite having some excellent academy players of their own at home.
Nevertheless, it still makes little sense to bring in another teenager when there is still so much room for Abe and Morrison in particular to grow.
If Mbaye did arrive with Barcola, that would also likely impact on Ngumoha. There is certainly not room for all of them in the team at the same time.
As a result, though Mbaye would offer something extra to the ranks, Liverpool would be better off gambling on – and promoting – the players they already have at their disposal.
Receive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox
