Liverpool refuse to walk away. Not yet.
With the window ticking towards its final week, Fenway Sports Group are preparing a fresh push for Crystal Palace winger Ismaila Sarr after seeing their opening offer knocked back – and watching another wide target slip towards Aston Villa.
Liverpool circle again for Sarr
Sarr has moved to the top of Liverpool’s winger shortlist. The Mirror revealed on August 26 that the club had tabled a £50 million bid for the 28-year-old, a move that followed weeks of groundwork and growing belief that the Senegal international is ready for the next step. The same report stated that Sarr is keen on a move to Anfield before the deadline.
Liverpool’s opening offer hit a wall at Selhurst Park. Fabrizio Romano reported that Palace rejected the £50m bid and made clear that their “plan” is to keep Sarr, a key attacking outlet and one of the club’s most valuable assets.
Liverpool, though, are not backing off.
At 3:04pm on August 28, Sky Sport Switzerland journalist Sacha Tavolieri posted on X that Liverpool are “making another push” for Sarr and are “preparing to submit a new proposal” to Palace. The chase has taken on an extra edge with Al Ittihad “closely monitoring the situation” and ready to move if Liverpool’s efforts collapse.
The pressure is building on all sides. Palace know they are holding a major card. Liverpool know they have already missed out on one winger and cannot afford another dead end.
Minteh pursuit stalls, attention turns elsewhere
The Sarr move only gathered pace after Liverpool ran into a wall with Brighton and Hove Albion over Yankuba Minteh. The Merseyside club made two bids for the highly rated winger, but both fell short of Brighton’s £70m valuation.
Brighton stood firm. Liverpool walked away.
That failed pursuit has sharpened the urgency around Sarr. With the season already under way and fixtures piling up, Liverpool’s need for another wide option is obvious. The club have moved quickly from one target to the next, but the market has not been kind on price or competition.
Mbaye heading for Villa, not Anfield
Another name on Liverpool’s radar earlier in the summer now looks set to light up a different part of the Premier League.
Before focusing on Minteh and Sarr, Liverpool explored a deal for Paris Saint-Germain winger Ibrahim Mbaye. PSG’s £60m valuation, though, forced the Reds to step back and reassess. The numbers simply did not work.
Aston Villa have stepped into that space.
At 4:10pm on August 28, The Athletic’s David Ornstein reported on X that Villa have reached an agreement in principle to sign Mbaye from PSG, with the deal being finalised at €55m. The relationship between PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi and Villa co-owner Nassef Sawiris has been described as key to pushing the transfer towards completion.
So Liverpool watch one target head to Villa Park while they try to prise another out of south London. The market is moving fast. The question now is simple: will their renewed bid for Ismaila Sarr finally land, or will another winger slip through their fingers in the final days of the window?
