Liverpool reach decision on January move for Ismaila Sarr after £40m ‘verbal offer’

Liverpool have reportedly decided whether to reignite their interest in Crystal Palace winger Ismaila Sarr after failing to sign the 28-year-old over the summer.

Liverpool were successful in signing wide attackers Victor Munoz and Bradley Barcola during the recent transfer window, but they also tried to land a specialist right winger. Sarr, Ibrahim Mbaye and Yankuba Minteh were the main right wingers Liverpool considered.

After deciding Mbaye – who went on to join Aston Villa – would be too expensive for his age, Liverpool made offers for Sarr and Minteh instead.

We confirmed on Tuesday that Liverpool made a verbal offer of just under £40m for Sarr, which was rejected by Palace. Other outlets have claimed Liverpool proposed a £50m deal for Sarr, but we understand they never reached that sum.

Liverpool also made £50m and £60m approaches for Minteh but were put off by Brighton’s £70-80m demands.

Andoni Iraola will have to operate without a right winger in the coming months, but according to Football Insider, Liverpool ‘will consider making another move to sign Ismaila Sarr in January after failing to agree a deal before the summer deadline’.

The report claims: ‘Sarr still wants to join Liverpool and he will stay on their radar in the months to come.’

We understand Palace would want over £50m to sell the Senegal international. That price could rise even further given the difficulty of negotiating deals in January.

On Thursday, Palace boss Pierre Sage reacted to Sarr’s failed Liverpool transfer by saying: “He needs to recover because he is, and always was, injured. He’s still our player, and we are happy with that.

Joining Liverpool a ‘dream’ for Ismaila Sarr

“He has to digest [the disappointment] for sure, because it’s a dream for a lot of players to play for this kind of club.

“In the end, he is still with us; there was an opportunity, but in the end it does not work [the transfer], so if he wants to continue [attracting that level of attention] he needs to give a good season with us, to perform with us, to score a lot of goals as he did last year.

“But now we know – and now you know – that he needs time.”

Sarr’s agent, meanwhile, has insisted in a statement that ‘African players deserve respect’ after both the forward and Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara missed out on major Premier League transfers.

Liverpool capturing Sarr in January would please Jamie Carragher. The pundit said on Monday Night Football: “I’m disappointed. I’m not quite sure what we’re going to do on that right wing right now. It doesn’t look a balanced squad. Liverpool are short in full-back areas and probably a midfield player as well.

“I sit there scratching my head and thinking, ‘We’ve got four left wingers; we haven’t got one right winger.’ Something like that just doesn’t feel right to me.

“Liverpool won the league just over a year ago. We spent an awful lot of money since then and I don’t think anybody inside Liverpool or Liverpool supporters really believe we can win the league this season, or the manager’s got the tools to go and win the league this season, and that just doesn’t feel right.”

Meanwhile, Liverpool have been gifted a golden chance to sign Camara after Fabrizio Romano revealed Chelsea’s ‘furious’ stance.