Liverpool have entered the race to sign Crystal Palace winger Ismaila Sarr after talks broke down with Brighton for Yankuba Minteh.
According to a breaking news update from Fabrizio Romano, Liverpool have entered into talks with the winger and Palace after two bids from Galatasaray were rejected.
Romano reports: “Liverpool open talks to sign Ismaila Sarr as new winger! Move follows Minteh deal called off due to Brighton requests. LFC sent a proposal worth around £50m for Senegal winger who’s keen on move. Crystal Palace already rejected two bids from Galatasaray.”
?? EXCLUSIVE: Liverpool open talks to sign Ismaila Sarr as new winger! ???
Move follows Minteh deal called off due to Brighton requests.#LFC sent a proposal worth around £50m for Senegal winger who’s keen on move.
Crystal Palace already rejected two bids from Galatasaray. pic.twitter.com/zQm40sXo8n
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 26, 2026
First reactions: Is Sarr a good alternative?
Liverpool are going to have to rip up their transfer policy for this one, particularly in comparison to their interest in Minteh. The Brighton star is 22, while Sarr is 28, and will offer zero resale value, except for a potential move to Saudi Arabia in a few years.
The good news is that he’s a fantastic goalscorer and, as Liverpool should know better than anyone, he is a very clutch player in big games. The Reds saw their winning streak in 2020 cut short by Sarr himself while he was at Watford.
Sarr was excellent at the World Cup with Senegal after an impressive season with Palace. He managed 21 goals and 2 assists last season, scoring nine in the Premier League and nine in the Conference League.
THAT SAID… He is not the level of player that Liverpool should be signing as a Mohamed Salah replacement.
Liverpool, and Richard Hughes in particular, have made an embarrassment of themselves this summer. For a club so keen to keep its moniker as one of the shrewdest operators in the business, it has acted with little to no visible planning.
Salah made his intent to leave the club clear in March. Yet, five months later, Liverpool still hasn’t shown they realise the magnitude of losing and replacing a player like the Egyptian.
Sarr is a fantastic player, but he should not be a starter for Liverpool, and so the only thing that can make this situation acceptable is if there is an elite player like Michael Olise who they are waiting for in a future window. Even then, we would have had some form of briefing from a reliable reporter to suggest it’s the case.
All in all, I’m not happy about the way the right wing recruitment has gone this summer.
