Liverpool Pursues Ismaila Sarr as Mohamed Salah Successor
Liverpool have stepped up their search for a Mohamed Salah successor by submitting a £50m proposal to Crystal Palace for Ismaila Sarr, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The Senegal winger, long linked with a move away from Selhurst Park, has now moved to the centre of Liverpool’s increasingly frantic winger hunt after a summer of near-misses and dead ends.
From Salah’s Exit to a Winger Scramble
Salah’s departure to Turkish side Trabzonspor left a gaping hole on Liverpool’s right flank and on their team sheet. The club reacted early in the window with the arrival of Victor Munoz from Osasuna, but that was only ever going to be the first piece of a wider rebuild in the wide areas.
Yan Diomande quickly became their marquee target. Liverpool even put a bid on the table. It didn’t matter. The Ivorian had other ideas and eventually chose Real Madrid, forcing Liverpool to redraw their plans.
From there, the strategy split in two: secure a top-class left winger, and find a direct replacement on the right.
Bradley Barcola emerged as the leading name for the left side. On the right, where Salah dominated for years, Liverpool cast the net wider.
Minteh Deal Collapses, Barcola Stays Top of the List
Yankuba Minteh looked, for a time, like the answer. Liverpool lodged two bids this month, pushing hard to get the Gambian in. Brighton pushed back harder.
Ben Jacobs reported that Brighton informed Liverpool they wanted £80m for Minteh, a figure Anfield chiefs considered excessive. Their previous £60m offer was viewed as competitive but was still rejected. The message from Brighton was clear; Liverpool walked away.
Romano has since confirmed that talks for Minteh have “gone cold” in the last 24 hours, with Liverpool now “exploring different options for the second winger” while maintaining that Barcola remains their “first priority”.
So Barcola at the top of the list. Minteh off it. The search for a right-sided threat rolled on.
Enter Ismaila Sarr
That search has now landed on Sarr.
Romano reports that Liverpool have opened talks with Crystal Palace and sent a proposal worth around £50m for the Senegal international, who is described as being keen on the move. Palace, for their part, are under no pressure to sell and have already turned down two bids from Galatasaray.
The Turkish side had moved first. Romano revealed last week that Sarr had agreed personal terms with Galatasaray and was actively pushing for the transfer, only for Palace to hold firm and resist a club-to-club agreement.
That tension spilled onto the team sheet at the weekend. Sarr was left out of the squad for Palace’s 2-0 defeat to Everton, a decision that instantly fuelled speculation over his future.
Palace’s Stand and Sage’s Explanation
Crystal Palace boss Pierre Sage tried to cool the noise post-match, offering a medical explanation for Sarr’s absence.
“It’s normal (the panic from fans) because two days ago, I said he will play,” Sage said after the defeat. “Yesterday, we made a medical point with the doctor of the club, the player and me.
“We have chosen that he cannot play because for the moment he’s not really 100%. That’s why we didn’t want to take a risk.”
Publicly, Palace maintain that stance: they want to keep Sarr. Privately, the dynamic has shifted. The player has pushed for Galatasaray, bids have arrived, and now Liverpool have put serious Premier League money on the table.
Liverpool’s Winger Puzzle Nears a Turning Point
Liverpool’s plan is clear enough. Barcola remains the headline objective on the left. On the right, with Minteh priced out, Sarr has become the live option.
A £50m proposal signals intent. Palace have already shown they will resist bids, but Liverpool offer Sarr a step up in league status without leaving England, and a direct route into a front line reshaped in the wake of Salah’s exit.
After a summer of rejected bids, cold negotiations and shifting targets, the next move belongs to Crystal Palace.
