Aston Villa attacking midfielder Emiliano Buendia came back from the cold to establish himself as a key player for Unai Emery in the 2025/26 campaign.

The Argentina international, who is on the standby list for the World Cup, spent the second half of last season on loan at Bayer Leverkusen in Germany after failing to break into Villa's team in the Premier League.

He returned last summer determined to revive his career at Villa Park, though, and did exactly that, ending the campaign with 11 goals and nine assists in all competitions.

The Argentine star even scored and provided an assist in the 3-0 win over Freiburg in the final of the Europa League last month, winning the first major trophy of his playing career.

It now remains to be seen whether or not his form was a flash in the pan, because he did not hit double figures for goals or assists in any of his first three years at Villa.

Aston Villa closing in on deal for Champions League forward

Despite his impressive performances for the Villans, notably in the Europa League final, Emery cannot be certain that the experienced forward will remain consistent at the top end of the pitch.

That may be why the European champions are reportedly looking at an attacker who could arrive at the club as an even better option than Buendia on the wing.

According to French journalist Romaine CG, Aston Villa are eyeing up a move to sign Paris Saint-Germain winger Ibrahim Mbaye in the summer transfer window.

The reporter claims that the Senegal international is "very close" to signing for the Premier League side, but does not reveal what kind of deal is in place for the forward.

Villa were reportedly keen on a deal to sign the 18-year-old wing wizard in the January transfer window, and they are now finally set to get a move over the line five months later.

Premier League giants Liverpool were recently linked with an interest in the Champions League winner, which suggests that the Villans have beaten off stiff competition to close in on a swoop for the teenage star.

How Ibrahim Mbaye could be even better than Emi Buendia

As aforementioned, the concern with Buendia is that his form this season may not be relfective of what his consistent level will be moving forward, given his struggles in previous years.

Mbaye, though, is a young player who is on the up and could hit his stride under Emery by playing regular football, after playing a bit-part role behind the superstar attackers at PSG.

Like the Argentine playmaker, the Villa target is a versatile winger who can play on either flank for his team, which suits the club's fluid attacking set-up.

Despite starting more than twice as many games, Buendia only registered three more goal contributions than Mbaye at league level in the 2025/26 campaign, which suggests that there was not a lot to separate their level of productivity in the final third.

The fact that the Senegal international was able to rack up five goal contributions in just ten starts in Ligue 1, though, is incredibly impressive, as it shows that he does not need regular minutes to make a significant impact at the top end of the pitch.

Mbaye also has the potential to elevate his attacking numbers and offer considerably more than Buendia. He was described as "menacing" at youth level by U23 scout Antonio Mango, thanks to a return of 15 goals and 19 assists in 37 U19 games for PSG.

Buendia managed 11 goals and nine assists in 54 matches in all competitions for Villa this season, which suggests that the PSG youngster could offer far more as both a scorer and a creator of goals if he hits his stride at senior level.

A return of four goals and four assists in 42 games for PSG and three goals in ten caps for Senegal at the age of 18 shows that the youngster has already adapted well to first-team football, but he has not been given the chance to start week-in-week-out.

Aston Villa could offer him that chance to play regular football ahead of Buendia, as his form at both youth and senior level suggests that the potential is there for him to be an even better option for Emery at the top end of the pitch.