Liverpool Pursue Ismaila Sarr as Mohamed Salah Successor
Liverpool have stepped up their search for a Mohamed Salah successor by launching an opening bid for Crystal Palace winger Ismaila Sarr, with the player understood to be keen on forcing through a move to Anfield in the final days of the window.
Andoni Iraola has made a new wide forward a priority signing before next week’s deadline. Victor Munoz has already arrived from Osasuna, but Liverpool’s recruitment team want another winger capable of walking straight into the starting XI and easing the enormous void left by Salah’s departure at the end of last season.
For much of this month, that role looked earmarked for Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh. Liverpool tested the Seagulls’ resolve twice, including a bid in the region of £60 million for the 22‑year‑old. Brighton held firm. Talks dragged into the weekend and then hit a wall, with negotiations stalling and no breakthrough in sight.
The momentum has shifted. Liverpool have now cooled their interest in Minteh and turned decisively towards Sarr, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Discussions between Liverpool and Crystal Palace are said to be under way, with the Anfield club submitting an offer of around £50 million. Crucially, they already have the player’s approval. Sarr is described as eager to join the Merseyside club and step into the Champions League and title-chasing spotlight.
Whether Palace are prepared to play ball at that figure is another matter entirely. The Eagles have already rejected two bids from Galatasaray earlier in the summer and regard Sarr as central to their plans. He is a key attacking outlet, a player they have been reluctant to lose in a window that has already asked questions of their squad depth.
Sarr’s contract, which runs until 2029, only strengthens Palace’s hand. There is no immediate financial pressure to cash in. They can afford to say no. What they may not be able to afford is a prolonged stand-off with a player who, by all indications, wants out before the window closes.
The tension has been building quietly. Sarr hit nine league goals in 28 appearances last season, including one against Liverpool in Palace’s early-season victory that stunned Anfield and underlined his threat on the counter. Performances like that are exactly why Liverpool have moved for him now.
Yet his situation at Selhurst Park has grown more complicated. He missed Palace’s opening‑day defeat to Everton, officially due to a minor injury, and watched from the sidelines as his team slipped to a disappointing start.
After the game, new Palace manager Pierre Sage tried to project calm and control over the situation. He stressed that the decision to leave Sarr out was taken jointly.
“The doctor, the player and I took the decision before our training session yesterday to let him have treatment,” Sage said. “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.”
Sage’s stance is clear: Sarr remains part of his plans. Liverpool’s stance is just as clear: Sarr is now at the top of their list.
Something has to give before the window shuts.
