Liverpool's Search for Mohamed Salah's Replacement: Sarr or Mbaye?

Liverpool’s hunt for Mohamed Salah’s long-term heir on the right wing has taken another sharp turn, with Ismaila Sarr emerging as a serious alternative after the collapse of talks for Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh.

Liverpool cool on Minteh as price soars

Liverpool had pushed hard for Minteh. Long admired since Arne Slot’s previous spell tracking him, the 22-year-old Gambian quickly became a priority target once the club identified the need for a right-sided forward to follow Bradley Barcola through the door.

Talks with Brighton opened at around £50 million. Rebuffed. Liverpool went back with £60m. Still not enough.

Brighton’s internal expectation sat closer to £70m, and Liverpool weighed up a third bid over the weekend. Then came the twist. Multiple outlets, including Fabrizio Romano and Ben Jacobs, report that Brighton raised their demands again, this time to £80m during fresh discussions.

That was the point Liverpool stepped away. Romano described the club as having “gone cold” on Minteh, with the recruitment team now “exploring different options for the second winger” after Barcola.

Those options are starting to crystallise.

Sarr: the winger who loves facing Liverpool

Crystal Palace’s Ismaila Sarr is one of them. And Liverpool know exactly what he can do.

Across his time at Watford and Palace, Sarr has tormented the Reds: seven goals and two assists in 10 appearances against them. Few wide players in Europe can point to that kind of record against a side of Liverpool’s stature.

Turkish journalist Nevzat Dindar reported on Saturday that Liverpool are “interested” in the Senegal international, who is already at the centre of a tug-of-war involving Galatasaray.

Dindar outlined just how much Okan Buruk wants him in Istanbul, highlighting Sarr’s ability to operate across the frontline as a key reason for Galatasaray’s push. Palace, though, are digging in. The club is described as “extremely serious” about keeping him, even as the player himself pushes for a move.

Sarr did not feature in Palace’s squad at the weekend, with Dindar stating that his desire to leave was the reason for his omission.

Liverpool are not alone in watching events unfold. Manchester United are also monitoring Sarr’s situation as Galatasaray attempt to break Palace’s resistance. Sources indicate Palace want at least £50m for the 26-year-old, while Galatasaray are trying to drive the fee down into the £30–43m range.

If Liverpool do formally enter the race, they will be doing so for a player Anfield knows too well – one who has spent years punishing them, and could now be asked to do the same in red rather than against it.

Mbaye and the Barcola equation

Sarr is not the only name on the table. PSG winger Ibrahim Mbaye is another live option.

Liverpool have already agreed a five-year contract with the 18-year-old and held talks with PSG over a transfer, underlining how advanced that avenue once looked. The sticking point is price.

Reports differ on what PSG are demanding, with figures ranging from £43m up to £60m. That puts Mbaye in a similar financial bracket to Minteh, just with a very different profile: younger, rawer, but already trusted at one of Europe’s superclubs.

Ben Jacobs shed light on Liverpool’s thinking earlier this week. Speaking about Minteh, he revealed that Liverpool had held talks with Brighton over the weekend and were deciding whether to go back in with a third offer.

Brighton sources indicated that a £70m bid would seal the deal. Jacobs suggested Liverpool had internally discussed £65m as a possible next step, but stressed that any fresh offer would likely be a final one, because of the presence of alternatives like Mbaye.

The problem? PSG’s valuation. The French champions want around €70m (roughly £59.8m) for Mbaye – effectively the same level as Minteh.

So Liverpool stand at a crossroads: two young right wingers, Minteh and Mbaye, both commanding fees in the £60–70m range, and a more established Premier League threat in Sarr whose price will be dictated by how hard Crystal Palace choose to play.

What seems clear from Jacobs’ reporting is that Liverpool’s plan is “Barcola plus one.” The only question now is which “one” will be trusted to step into Salah’s shadow – and whether the market will let them do it on their own terms.