Big twist in Ismaila Sarr to Liverpool as Watford name their price

Liverpool have been quoted a price for Ismaila Sarr.

This is the latest twist in the transfer saga that started almost as soon as Watford were relegated to the Championship.

David Lynch and Simon Collins from the Evening Standard have written that the Hornets have now named their price for the Senegal forward.

Liverpool will face competition from Wolves and Crystal Palace, wrote the report, but will have to pay top dollar if they want to sign Ismaila Sarr. He has four years left on his contract and scored six goals in his debut campaign in England – which led Watford to have confidence in their £40 million valuation of him.

The article said that the Reds were ‘frontrunners’ to sign Sarr for £40 million, but it also added that sales would probably be needed in order to finance the deal. Marko Grujic and Harry Wilson could be two who make way in order to get this one done.

As well as the obvious attraction to Liverpool, Sarr has another incentive to move to Merseyside. His hero is Sadio Mane, and the two seem to have struck up some sort of relationship – which could help smooth any rough edges of this transfer.

The forward is predominantly a right winger, and that could come with it’s own problems. In 140 professional appearances, he’s only played 29 times on the left – 61 on the right.

So rather than complimenting and pushing Sadio Mane, Sarr will have to fight with Mohamed Salah for a place in the team – as well as Xherdan Shaqiri and Wilson, if we see no movement in the transfer market.

The point is, would Liverpool really spend £40 million on someone who will only be a back-up? We saw Norwich City slap a £20 million price tag on Jamal Lewis, which saw the club turn their attention to Kostas Tsimikas.

But if manager Jurgen Klopp and sporting director Micheal Edwards can see a long-term future for Sarr at the club, as well as clear potential for development, it might convince them to splash the cash.