Liverpool's Transfer Strategy: N'Guessan and Gakpo Chaos
Liverpool’s late-window chaos has a plan behind it. You can see it in the way they chase the present and stash away the future.
On one side, the club are locked in an £85million tug-of-war over Cody Gakpo with Manchester City. On the other, they’ve just moved decisively for an 18-year-old from Saint-Etienne who will not set foot in Anfield for another three years.
N’Guessan deal sealed for 2027
Fabrizio Romano has delivered his trademark “here we go” on Djylian N’Guessan. Liverpool have an agreement in place with Saint-Etienne for the highly rated forward, with the French teenager set to officially join in the summer of 2027.
The deal, Romano reported on X, is done on both club and player side, with Liverpool receiving authorization to carry out medical checks. N’Guessan will stay with Saint-Etienne for another season before making the move, following the same “future planning” pattern as the recent Lucca Brughmans signing.
The story first broke via Foot Mercato’s Santi Aouna, who revealed “advanced negotiations” between ASSE and Liverpool, with only “last details to settle.” Saint-Etienne have long accepted that their young star is likely to go. His contract runs to 2027, but the French club know the market and the pressure that comes with a rising 18-year-old striker.
Liverpool see N’Guessan as a long-term project, not a solution for this week’s deadline. He doesn’t alter their plans for the final days of the window. He underlines them.
Because the here and now is all about the wings.
Gakpo, City and the £85m question
The domino piece is Cody Gakpo.
According to Romano, speaking on his YouTube channel, Gakpo has already reached an agreement with Manchester City on personal terms. City have sent an £85m bid to Liverpool. The structure is clear. The money is there. But Liverpool will not sign off unless they have a right winger through the door before the deadline.
If they fail to land that winger, Gakpo stays. Simple as that.
This stance turns every hour into leverage. It also explains the intensity of their push for one name in particular.
Sarr at the centre of the storm
Ismaila Sarr has jumped to the front of Liverpool’s shortlist. Romano describes the Crystal Palace winger as the “favourite candidate,” ahead of Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh at this stage.
The problem? Palace are still refusing to sell.
Liverpool already tested their resolve earlier in the week. Romano revealed that the Reds submitted a written offer worth £45m plus £5m in add-ons, a £50m package in total. Palace rejected it. Publicly, there had been “zero links” between Sarr and Liverpool before that bid, but the offer was real, official and turned down.
Inside the deal, the dynamic is clear: Sarr wants the move. He wants Liverpool. The decision now rests with the two clubs, with Palace simultaneously scouring the market for potential replacements in case a proposal lands that they simply cannot ignore.
Liverpool know that every agent and every club has clocked their need for a winger. Romano put it bluntly: they are being offered wide players “every minute.” But the shortlist is not infinite, and the clock is not slowing down.
Barcola in, Gakpo out?
All of this unfolds against the backdrop of Bradley Barcola’s switch from PSG. The Frenchman has completed his medical and is poised to sign what has been described as a blockbuster deal with Liverpool.
His arrival is expected to unlock Gakpo’s move to Manchester City. The Netherlands international has already turned down a proposed £85m transfer to Tottenham in favour of joining Pep Guardiola’s side at the Etihad. City are waiting. Liverpool are stalling until their own attacking jigsaw is complete.
So the picture is layered.
Barcola for the now. N’Guessan for the future. A massive Gakpo sale hanging on whether Crystal Palace soften their stance on Sarr — or whether Liverpool pivot to an alternative at the last second.
The deadline is Tuesday evening. By then, we’ll know if this window has simply reshaped Liverpool’s attack, or ripped it up and started again.
