Liverpool's Late Double Senegal Swoop: Camara and Sarr
Liverpool have been handed a late chance to reshape their midfield and attack with a double Senegal swoop, as Monaco’s Lamine Camara and Crystal Palace winger Ismaila Sarr circle the final days of the window.
Camara put on the table for Liverpool
Transfer insider Ben Jacobs reports that Monaco have “offered” Camara to both Liverpool and Chelsea as a late-window opportunity, with Crystal Palace already seeing a bid knocked back earlier this month.
The 20-year-old midfielder’s situation has shifted after Monaco reached an agreement in principle with Cruz Azul for Erik Lira. Italian journalist Luca Bendoni says the deal for Lira, worth around €10m including add-ons, hinges on Monaco offloading a non-EU player – a category Camara falls into.
That opens the door. Liverpool, who sold Curtis Jones to Inter Milan and are trying to fast-track youngster Trey Nyoni, suddenly have a potential central option on their desk with the deadline looming.
Iraola wants width – but midfield door stays open
It has been a controlled, almost understated window at Anfield so far. Jeremy Jacquet and Victor Munoz have arrived permanently, while Ronald Araujo has joined on loan from Barcelona. The headline move is close: a deal is now in place for PSG winger Bradley Barcola after a summer-long pursuit.
Yet Andoni Iraola made it clear before Liverpool’s clash with Nottingham Forest that he still wants more.
Asked where he would “ideally” strengthen, the Liverpool boss leaned on that very word.
“‘Ideally’ is the magic word,” he said. “In the end, there are certain things that you can do, certain things that we don’t know if we can do. But it’s true that the priority has been to strengthen in the wide areas.
“Still, we have four, five days, I’m sure if we can improve other areas, we will.”
So while wide players top the list, the Camara opportunity drops into a squad that has already lost one homegrown midfielder and is still balancing experience with youth.
Sarr chase refuses to die
On the flanks, two names dominate: Barcola and Ismaila Sarr.
Liverpool’s interest in Sarr has refused to disappear, despite Palace’s firm stance. The Independent’s Miguel Delaney reported that the Reds are “still pursuing” the Senegal international, even after new Eagles boss Pierre Sage publicly insisted the winger is not for sale.
Reports initially suggested Liverpool had seen a bid of around £50m rejected. TEAMtalk’s Graeme Bailey has since been told that no formal offer actually went in. Instead, Liverpool made an enquiry – and it is Sarr’s camp who have pushed his name towards Anfield, hoping to turn that interest into a concrete bid.
So the dance continues. No bid, but no denial of interest either.
Double Senegal twist in final days
The Senegal angle has sharpened in the last 24 hours. Journalist La Loumance revealed that Liverpool could yet land both Camara and Sarr before the deadline, posting: “Not the only Senegalese who could sign with Liverpool.”
That line has fuelled talk of a late double move: a powerful winger in Sarr, and a young, saleable central option in Camara, at a time when Liverpool’s recruitment team are already working flat out.
What is not in doubt is the tempo around Anfield. With the window closing on September 1, Iraola’s “ideally” has turned into urgency. A trusted source has already indicated that Liverpool’s late midfield push is expected to focus on a player the manager knows well.
Whether that ends up being Camara, or someone else from Iraola’s past, the final days of this window will say a lot about how bold Liverpool are prepared to be in backing their new boss.
