Deal off! Liverpool's pursuit of Premier League star collapses at the finish line
One of the longest-running sagas of this transfer window has ended in nothing: Ismaïla Sarr's move to Liverpool is off.
Details: According to Sacha Tavolieri, the deal collapsed at the finish line because Crystal Palace were unwilling to let their leader leave. The London club rejected two Liverpool bids, the first worth £50 million, and stood firm even after the Senegalese winger refused to train in a bid to force the move.
The failure is painful for both sides of this story. Sarr did everything to become a Liverpool player: he agreed personal terms with the Reds, gave his green light days ago and, according to Fabrice Hawkins, no longer wanted to wear the Palace shirt. Palace, however, valued their player of the season at around £75 million and never budged, with Anfield chiefs unwilling to go that high. And so ends a chase that lasted the entire final week of the window. The 28 year old, who joined Palace from Marseille in the summer of 2024, is coming off the season of his life: 21 goals in all competitions, nine of them in the Premier League, and the club's player of the year award. Liverpool, meanwhile, close the window with mixed feelings: they officially landed Bradley Barcola from PSG and kept Cody Gakpo despite an £80 million bid from Manchester City, but the extra winger Andoni Iraola craved never arrived.
It's worth noting that Sarr was also followed by Saudi clubs this summer: Al-Hilal held late talks for the Senegalese, and Al-Ittihad monitored the situation, but the winger only had eyes for Liverpool.
Reminder: From Anfield hero to the dock! Liverpool legend faces bankruptcy.
Miguel Solomons
Dailysports's expert
