Following Mohamed Salah's departure, the main area Liverpool have needed to strengthen all summer long has been on the right wing. Yankuba Minteh appears to have been the Reds' first-choice target, but they have seemingly walked away from this deal, put off by Brighton's £80 million asking price. The fact that the Gambian international is also sidelined for two months is far from ideal.
So now, are Liverpool closing in on an alternative? Well, as reported by Fabrizio Romano, Liverpool have "opened talks" with Crystal Palace over the possibility of signing Ismaïla Sarr. He adds that the Reds have "sent a proposal" worth around £50 million and that the 28 year old is "keen on move".
Crystal Palace have already rejected multiple bids from Turkish Süper Lig champions Galatasaray for the Senegalese international. Thus, Sarr was not involved in the Eagles' Premier League opener on Saturday, a 2-0 defeat against Everton at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
New Crystal Palace manager Pierre Sage played down speculation, stating "the doctor, the player and I took the decision before our training session yesterday to let him have treatment". He added "we don’t want him to leave, he is under contract with us for three years and he will be with us on Monday. That’s the most important information for me and for you".
Nevertheless, it does appear likely that Sarr will be on the move before the transfer window slams shut on Tuesday 1 September. However, rather than heading to İstanbul, he could be on his way to Merseyside.
Well, fair to say, Liverpool supporters have already seen the best of Sarr when he has come up against the Reds. The winger has scored seven career goals against Liverpool. Jürgen Klopp's team were unbeaten in 44 Premier League matches, closing in on Arsenal's all-time record, before being smashed by Watford 3-0 at Vicarage Road in February 2020, with Sarr starring and scoring twice.
In 2025 alone, the Senegalese attacker netted five times across four different matches against Arne Slot's side, including being on target in the FA Community Shield, a 2-1 win at Selhurst for the Eagles and then at the double during a 3-0 away victory at Anfield in the EFL Cup.
In his career, he has only bagged more goals against Aston Villa (8), while his next favourite opponent is Norwich, with just four goals. Sarr's electric pace and direct dribbling is something Andoni Iraola loves and this current squad severely lacks, so he would surely be an excellent addition.
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