Chelsea receive BRUTAL PSG response after enquiry over AFCON star

PSG have laughed off interest from Chelsea and Aston Villa in Ibrahim Mbaye, according to a report.

The 17-year-old is enjoying a hugely promising season in the French capital. Despite his youth, Mbaye has already racked up 31 senior appearances for PSG, 19 of which have come this term. He has set up two goals and scored one himself in Ligue 1.

He also has eight senior Senegal caps to his name already. Mbaye played in all but one of his country’s matches at the Africa Cup of Nations, a run of fixtures that included 43 minutes in the final win over hosts Morocco.

These exploits have put his name on the map. Florian Plettenberg reports that both Chelsea and Aston Villa have expressed an interest in the wonderkid with a view to a potential last-minute January deal.

However, when Plettenberg confronted a source at PSG with this information, he simply received a crying laughing emoji in response. That is to say, the reigning European champions have absolutely no intention of listening to offers for Mbaye this month.

Chelsea won’t sign Mbaye in January

A January move for the 17-year-old is therefore out of the question. However, Chelsea may feel emboldened to return for him in the summer. Mbaye’s current contract with PSG expires in 2028, so extension talks will be on the agenda in the near future.

Whether or not the French-born winger commits his long-term future to the Parisians will depend on the pathway they are able to present to him. It is worth noting that the teenager has to compete with a frankly ridiculous amount of attacking talent at PSG.

Mbaye benefitted massively from Ousmane Dembele’s injury problems in the early stages of the season. When the Ballon d’Or winner has been available, his minutes have understandably been limited.

In the weeks leading up to AFCON, Mbaye was only handed starts against relegation-battlers Metz and Le Havre – Dembele missed both games – and he was an unused substitute in three consecutive Champions League matches. On Friday, he started in a heavily-rotated side against second-bottom Auxerre.

The teenager has shown that he can more than hold his own in senior football, and first-team minutes will become increasingly important to him. If PSG can’t offer enough game time, they may have no choice but to entertain a sale further down the line.

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