Aston Villa completed two signings on transfer deadline day, bringing in Senegal winger Ibrahim Mbaye from Paris St-Germain and English centre-back Taylor Harwood-Bellis from Southampton.
Mbaye, 18, cost 55 million euros, or approximately £47 million. Harwood-Bellis, 24, joined for an initial fee of £25 million, with £4 million in potential add-ons, bringing the total to up to £29 million. Villa had seen two previous bids for Harwood-Bellis rejected before the deal was completed.
According to the BBC, Mbaye scored three goals and provided two assists in 31 games across all competitions last season as PSG successfully defended their Ligue 1 and Champions League titles. He appeared in all four of Senegal's matches at the 2026 World Cup, scoring in a 3-1 defeat by France. That goal made him the youngest African player to score at a men's World Cup.
Mbaye joined PSG in 2018 from FC Versailles 78 and made his senior debut in August 2024 at age 16. He was born in France and represented France at youth level before switching international allegiance to Senegal in 2025 through his father.
Harwood-Bellis came through Manchester City's youth academy and joined Southampton for £20 million in 2024. A loan spell at Burnley in 2022-23 produced a Championship winner's medal. He helped Southampton earn promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs in 2023-24, though Southampton finished bottom of the table in their first Premier League season and were later disqualified from last season's Championship play-off final following the Spygate scandal. The club began the current season with a four-point deduction.
Harwood-Bellis fills the gap left by Ezri Konsa, who made a £55 million move to Premier League champions Arsenal. Mbaye joins a group of attackers added by manager Unai Emery this summer, including Alejandro Garnacho, Johan Manzambi, and Nicolas Jackson.
Villa have spent approximately £280 million this summer, though the club have also raised over £313 million in player sales. Among the departures, Morgan Rogers moved to Chelsea for £117 million and Ollie Watkins joined Al-Hilal for £51 million. If all add-ons and clauses are triggered, Villa's summer spending could push toward £300 million, even as the club works to comply with UEFA and Premier League financial regulations.
