Liverpool u-turn now puts £42.7m transfer in jeopardy; Man Utd licking their lips

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Manchester United have reportedly filed inquiries with PSG around Ibrahim Mbaye.Sebastien Vidal reports on X (formerly Twitter) that Liverpool have “cooled” their interest in the Senegal international owing to the €50m [£42.7m] asking price.The Merseysiders are still understood to be keen on adding a second attacker to their ranks beyond Bradley Barcola.Manchester United could swoop in for Ibrahim MbayeAt a time when Liverpool are set to head into the 2026/27 season with a poorly stocked forward line, it’s incredibly frustrating to see the club already pulling away from viable deals.The point has already been made that, if we assume Cody Gakpo is moved on for a significant sum to make way for two new offensive signings, there’s value in landing both Mbaye and Barcola this summer. Liverpool, qui avait également exploré cette piste, aurait refroidi son intérêt face aux… — Sébastien Vidal (@SebEcrivainFoot) August 14, 2026That said, it now seems that the Red Devils are lurking around the potential deal – and understandably so, given that PSG seem to be more than open to the idea of jettisoning the 18-year-old in the window.Want more Empire of the Kop coverage?

Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trustFrankly, we’re a bit concerned that Liverpool seem to be grimacing at the idea of £42.7m. Who else is there in the market that the club feels reflects genuine value and won’t cost the earth?Who could the other offensive target be for Liverpool?Perhaps it would be a mistake to assume that Liverpool are going full throttle for a right-sided winger when the case could be made that a backup striker to Alexander Isak is an even bigger priority.Mind, we’re concerned that, whatever we cut it, our recruitment team will leave Andoni Iraola short in at least a couple of positions – which is still a failing in our books.But assuming that the club is keeping an eye out for opportunities in the market, where value reflects asking price as closely as humanly possible… might we be holding out for a late swoop for an option like Jean-Philippe Mateta?To be clear, we’re not suggesting that there have been any links for the France international.

Indeed, Tottenham, if reports are to be believed, seem a more likely potential destination.But we just can’t see a world in which Liverpool seriously believe Isak will be available, fighting on all fronts, for an entire campaign. It’s just not a position we can afford to gamble on, if we accept that the burden of goals rests with the central striker in Andoni Iraola’s system.