Aston Villa complete signings of Mbaye and Harwood-Bellis
Aston Villa have completed the signings of Senegal winger Ibrahim Mbaye from Paris St-Germain and English centre-back Taylor Harwood-Bellis from Southampton, and both players could make their Villa debuts against Hull on Saturday.
Mbaye, 18, has joined Villa from Paris St-Germain for a fee of 55m euros (£47m). He scored three goals and provided two assists in 31 appearances last season as PSG successfully defended both Ligue 1 and the Champions League, and he featured in all four of Senegal’s matches at the 2026 World Cup, scoring in a 3-1 defeat by France to become the youngest African player to score at a men’s World Cup. Mbaye moved to PSG from FC Versailles 78 in the summer of 2018, progressed through their academy and made his senior debut in August 2024 at the age of 16; born in France, he represented Les Bleus at youth level before switching international allegiance to Senegal in 2025 through his father.
Taylor Harwood-Bellis arrives after Villa agreed an initial £25m fee with Southampton, with a further £4m of add-ons making the deal potentially worth up to £29m; Villa had seen two earlier bids rejected. A product of Manchester City’s academy, Harwood-Bellis joined Southampton for £20m in 2024 following an impressive loan spell, and his loan at Burnley in 2022-23 ended with a Championship winners’ medal. He helped Southampton gain promotion via the play-offs in 2023-24, apologised for making a binoculars gesture during the play-off semi-final second leg win over Middlesbrough, and experienced a first season in the Premier League which ended with Southampton bottom of the table before last season’s play-off run and subsequent disqualification linked to the Spygate scandal that left the club starting the current campaign with a four-point deduction.
Mbaye is the latest forward to join Unai Emery’s squad after Alejandro Garnacho, Johan Manzambi and Nicolas Jackson were signed earlier in the summer. Harwood-Bellis is expected to take the place vacated by Ezri Konsa, who left Villa for Arsenal in a £55m transfer. Villa’s recruitment this window has coincided with several high-profile departures from Emery’s Europa League-winning squad, including Morgan Rogers’ move to Chelsea for £117m and Ollie Watkins’ transfer to Al-Hilal for £51m.
The Harwood-Bellis transfer structure — £25m up front with £4m in potential add-ons — completes a move that followed two rejected offers from Villa before Southampton agreed terms. Mbaye’s transfer fee was reported as 55m euros (£47m), and both signings reflect Villa’s significant summer spending and squad turnover under Emery.
Both new recruits are available for selection and could feature in Villa’s upcoming match against Hull on Saturday, offering immediate options for Emery in attack and central defence ahead of the club’s next fixture.