Aston Villa revived Ibrahim Mbaye deal so secretly after Liverpool failure that staff ‘were not aware’ it was happening

It has been revealed by insider Jacob Tanswell that negotiations for Aston Villa to sign Ibrahim Mbaye were done with such privacy that even some at the club ‘were not aware’ the deal was ongoing.

Villa signed 11 new players this summer, and sold nine. They could essentially field an entire new starting XI, and additions have been necessary after top players like Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins, Ezri Konsa and Emi Martinez left in the same window.

With Leon Bailey not fancied – and his departure looking likely – and Alysson only 20 and not particularly experienced, Villa needed to add width, as they regularly play with central midfield player John McGinn out wide.

Per The Athletic‘s Tanswell, Villa’s priority for the summer was ‘a right-winger who made frequent runs beyond defences.’

They ended up with Mbaye from Paris Saint-Germain, spending €55million (£47m) on his transfer. The 18-year-old, along with Crysencio Summerville, was one of the leading targets before Rogers’ exit.

While there were other options throughout the summer, Mbaye was a target Villa were said to keep circling back to, even after Liverpool made contact with PSG and decided he was too expensive.

Villa felt at one point that they’d missed their opportunity to land the wide man, and when the agreement to sign him on August 28 was reached, the discussions had been done so privately that ‘several at Villa were not aware this was back in the works.’

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Villa overlooked a number of wingers

During their search for a winger, there were a number of names on the list.

Tanswell reveals that the club assessed several options, including Harvey Barnes, Karim Adeyemi, Jonathan Rowe and Gabriel Martinelli.

But Mbaye was the man they wanted most, having had interest in him in January, before returning to him in the summer.

It helped that Liverpool had failed in their attempts to secure the services of the Senegalese forward, who they wanted alongside Bradley Barcola.

They ended up landing the Frenchman in a deal worth an initial £106million, potentially rising above £120million.

For Mbaye, Liverpool were said to have been quoted €70million (£60m) and decided he was going to be too expensive. Villa got him for £13million below that, so have done a great bit of business, landing a highly-rated international winger for below what a Premier League rival might have.