Liverpool have entered into surprise negotiations for a shock £50 million signing – after the deal with Brighton for Yankuba Minteh foundered.
The Reds have been chasing Bradley Barcola all summer, and also tried to sign Minteh – despite the Gambian being out for around three months with an ankle injury following surgery.
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But Liverpool eventually backed out of the deal, as they were unwilling to meet Brighton’s price demands.
With an urgent need for a new winger, Fabrizio Romano came up with a bombshell: Liverpool are now negotiating for Ismaïla Sarr from Crystal Palace.
Sarr has been chased by Galatasaray
Sarr has been wanted by Turkish Galatasaray, who have already had two bids rejected by Palace.
According to Romano’s exclusive report, Liverpool have made a bid of £50 million – and the Senegalese himself is very interested in the transfer.
Sarr, who has played against Liverpool on several occasions, was not in the Palace squad for the weekend’s loss to Everton – due to transfer speculation with Galatasaray.
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New manager Pierre Sage explained the absence as follows:
“It’s natural for the supporters to react, because two days ago I said he was going to play. Yesterday we had a medical assessment with the club doctor, the player and me. We chose that he cannot play, because he is not yet 100 percent. Therefore, we did not want to take any risks.
Galatasaray have reportedly only been willing to pay £34 million for Sarr – but Liverpool have moved closer to Palace’s asking price.
Barcola for animals – Minteh for animals
Liverpool still want Barcola, but have to shell out a staggering £145 million for the Frenchman – a sum the club is currently unwilling to pay.
The Minteh transfer looked far more likely. Liverpool made two bids – the highest of £60 million. But according to talkSPORT, Brighton are demanding a whopping £80 million – which scared the six-time European champions away.
Iraola: “We need to sign more”
So far, Liverpool’s new manager Andoni Iraola has brought in winger Victor Munoz from Osasuna and Jeremy Jacquet from Rennes – both on permanent transfers. Ronald Araujo has also been brought in on loan from Barcelona.
With players like Mohamed Salah, Curtis Jones, Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konaté out of the club, Iraola is aware that more reinforcements are needed:
“We will definitely sign more players,” Iraola told Sky Sports.
“Some agreements you have to wait until the end of the window. But the end is the important picture – the one we are left with on 1 September. Because it’s true that we’re still pretty thin in the squad.
Sarr could be the solution – but Liverpool need to act quickly.
