Liverpool Bid 50M Pounds for Crystal Palace Winger Ismaila Sarr

Liverpool opened formal negotiations with Crystal Palace on August 26, 2026, to sign Senegalese winger Ismaila Sarr after submitting an opening bid of around 50 million pounds to strengthen their attacking options. The move by Liverpool comes after their 60 million pound bid for Brighton winger Yankuba Minteh was rejected when Brighton demanded 80 million pounds, prompting Anfield officials to shift focus to alternative targets. Sarr, who scored 21 goals in 45 matches across all competitions for Palace last season while winning the UEFA Europa Conference League, is keen to complete the move and work under manager Andoni Iraola.

The 28-year-old forward missed Crystal Palace's Premier League opener against Everton, which resulted in a 2-0 defeat, after managing a slight groin injury that worsened prior to the fixture.

"The doctor, the player and I took the decision before our training session yesterday to let him have treatment," said Pierre Sage, Crystal Palace manager. Palace manager Pierre Sage confirmed that the club intends to keep the Senegal international despite ongoing transfer speculation surrounding him.

"We don’t want him to leave, he is under contract with us for three years and he will be with us on Monday," said Pierre Sage, Crystal Palace manager. Prior to Liverpool's formal proposal, Galatasaray had submitted two rejected offers for Sarr, while Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal also made inquiries regarding the player's availability.

Following escalating transfer interest, Sarr was subsequently excluded from Crystal Palace's matchday squad against West Ham United as negotiations regarding his departure intensified. "Ismaïla Sarr was not included in the squad for today’s match," said Oliver Glasner, Crystal Palace head coach. "Negotiations regarding his transfer are currently ongoing.

Under these circumstances, we felt it was best for the team that he did not participate." Liverpool's pursuit of Sarr remains independent of their ongoing negotiations to sign left winger Bradley Barcola, as Palace work to finalize structural terms for Sarr's exit.