Liverpool Pursue Ismaila Sarr After Villa Deal for Ibrahim Mbaye

Liverpool refuse to walk away from Ismaila Sarr and are preparing a fresh bid for the Crystal Palace winger, with Fenway Sports Group scrambling to land wide attacking reinforcements after missing out on another target to Aston Villa.

Sarr has shot to the top of Liverpool’s winger shortlist. The Reds have already tested Palace’s resolve with an offer and know exactly where they stand.

On August 26, The Mirror revealed that Liverpool had tabled a £50 million bid for the 28-year-old Senegal international. The same report stated Sarr is keen on a move to Anfield before the transfer window shuts next week, giving Liverpool encouragement that the player is on board.

That first move came on the back of frustration elsewhere. Liverpool had turned to Sarr after failing to strike a deal with Brighton and Hove Albion for Yankuba Minteh. Brighton are holding out for around £70m, and Liverpool’s two offers have fallen short of that figure, leaving the deal stuck.

Crystal Palace, though, did not roll over. Transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano reported that Palace rejected Liverpool’s £50m bid and that their plan, for now, is to keep Sarr at Selhurst Park.

Liverpool are not treating that as the end of the story.

According to Sky Sport Switzerland journalist Sacha Tavolieri, the club are lining up a renewed attempt. Posting on X at 3:04pm on August 28, Tavolieri said Liverpool are “making another push” for Sarr and are “preparing to submit a new proposal” to Palace for the winger.

There is another twist. Saudi Pro League side Al Ittihad are described as “closely monitoring” the situation and could step in if Liverpool and Palace fail to reach an agreement. If the deal collapses, the door opens for a late hijack.

While the Sarr chase intensifies, another winger has already slipped through Liverpool’s fingers.

Ibrahim Mbaye heads for Villa, not Anfield

Before moving for Minteh and Sarr, Liverpool explored a deal for Paris Saint-Germain’s highly rated wide man Ibrahim Mbaye. The interest was real, but the numbers were not.

PSG’s £60m valuation forced Liverpool to step away and look elsewhere. That stance has now allowed Aston Villa to move to the front of the queue.

At 4:10pm on August 28, The Athletic’s David Ornstein reported on X that Villa have reached an agreement in principle with PSG to sign the 18-year-old winger. The deal is being finalised at a fee of €55m, with the relationship between PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi and Villa co-owner Nassef Sawiris described as key to pushing the transfer towards completion.

So Liverpool watch one winger head to Villa Park, wrestle with Brighton over Minteh, and go back in for Sarr against a stubborn Crystal Palace and circling interest from Saudi Arabia.

With the window ticking down, FSG now have a clear question to answer: how far are they willing to go to land the wide forward Jürgen Klopp’s successor clearly wants?