Liverpool Targets Ismaila Sarr as Winger Option After Minteh

Liverpool’s pursuit of a successor to Mohamed Salah has taken another sharp turn, with Ismaila Sarr emerging as a serious option after the club cooled their interest in Brighton winger Yankuba Minteh.

Liverpool walk away from Minteh price hike

Liverpool had pushed hard for Minteh. Long admired by the club dating back to Arne Slot’s previous interest, the 22-year-old Gambian looked a genuine contender to fill the looming void on the right flank.

Talks with Brighton opened with a £50 million bid. Rejected. Liverpool came back with £60m. Still not enough.

Brighton’s internal expectation had been that £70m would seal it, and Liverpool spent the last few days weighing up whether to go that high. Then came the twist. During a fresh round of discussions, Brighton’s valuation jumped again, this time to £80m.

At that point, according to multiple reports including Fabrizio Romano and Ben Jacobs, Liverpool stepped back. The club have effectively gone cold on Minteh and are now turning their attention to “different options for the second winger” to follow their main target, Bradley Barcola.

Sarr back on the radar – and not short of suitors

One of those options is Crystal Palace’s Ismaila Sarr, a player Liverpool fans know all too well.

Turkish journalist Nevzat Dindar reported on Saturday that Liverpool are interested in the Senegal international, setting up the possibility of a three-way tug-of-war involving Galatasaray and Manchester United.

Dindar underlined just why Sarr is in demand: his versatility across the front line and his appeal to Galatasaray boss Okan Buruk, who is “extremely serious” about the transfer. Palace, though, are described as equally determined not to sell.

The situation is tense. According to Dindar, Sarr wants to leave and was left out of the squad as a result. That stance has alerted heavyweights. Liverpool are watching. United are monitoring. Galatasaray are pushing.

Palace, for their part, have set a high bar. Club sources want at least £50m for the 26-year-old, while Galatasaray are trying to work within a £30-43m bracket. That gap will define whether this becomes a Premier League bidding war or a deal that drifts towards Istanbul.

From Liverpool’s perspective, Sarr brings something else: scars. For them. Seven goals and two assists in 10 appearances against the Reds across his time at Watford and Palace is a remarkable record. An Anfield problem could yet become an Anfield weapon.

Mbaye remains in play – at a price

The other live track leads to Paris.

Liverpool have already put significant groundwork into a move for Paris Saint-Germain youngster Ibrahim Mbaye. A five-year contract is understood to be agreed on the player side, and talks have been held with PSG.

The stumbling block is familiar: the fee. Reports differ, but the French champions’ valuation has been placed anywhere between £43m and £60m for the 18-year-old winger.

Jacobs, speaking on Tuesday, laid out the current landscape around both Minteh and Mbaye. Liverpool held talks with Brighton over the weekend and were, at that point, still deciding whether to table a third bid for Minteh. Brighton sources indicated that £70m would secure the deal. Internally, Liverpool had discussed £65m as a possible next step, but any new offer would have been close to a final throw of the dice.

Now, with Brighton pushing to £80m and PSG wanting around €70m (£59.8m) for Mbaye, Liverpool find themselves staring at two wingers in roughly the same price bracket.

The expectation, as Jacobs put it, is that this window ends with “Barcola plus one” arriving at Anfield.

Who that “one” is will shape the next phase of Liverpool’s attack: the proven Premier League tormentor in Sarr, the high-ceiling teenager Mbaye, or a name still to emerge from a recruitment department that has clearly decided it will not be held to ransom.