Liverpool Intensifies Bid for Ismaila Sarr as Aston Villa Targets Ibrahim Mbaye
Liverpool’s search for a new winger has turned into a late-window tug of war, and they are not backing down.
Ismaila Sarr has moved to the top of their list. Crystal Palace have already turned away one offer, but the Premier League runners-up are preparing to knock on the door again.
On August 26, The Mirror revealed that Liverpool had tabled a £50million bid for the 28-year-old Senegal international. Sarr, the report said, is keen on a move to Anfield before the window shuts next week. Palace were unmoved. The offer went in. The answer was no.
Transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano then underlined the club’s stance: Palace’s plan is to keep Sarr. No negotiations, no compromise – at least not at that price.
Liverpool, though, are treating that rejection as a starting point, not the end of the story.
At 3:04pm on August 28, Sky Sport Switzerland journalist Sacha Tavolieri reported on X that Liverpool are “making another push” for Sarr and are “preparing to submit a new proposal” to Palace. The chase is still alive, and the clock is ticking.
There is another twist. Liverpool are not alone in the shadows. Saudi Pro League side Al Ittihad are closely tracking developments and could pounce if Liverpool’s pursuit stalls. Any hesitation from Anfield risks opening the door to a rival market that has already shown it can move quickly and decisively for prime talent.
This is not the first time Liverpool have run into a hard valuation this summer. Their pursuit of Brighton and Hove Albion winger Yankuba Minteh hit a similar wall. Brighton are holding out for £70m, while Liverpool’s two offers have fallen short of that figure. No agreement, no breakthrough.
The pattern is clear: Liverpool know the profile they want out wide, but they are not prepared to meet every asking price put in front of them. That stance has already cost them one target.
Before Minteh and Sarr came into sharp focus, Liverpool explored a deal for Paris Saint-Germain’s highly rated winger Ibrahim Mbaye. PSG wanted £60m. Liverpool walked away.
A few days later, the teenager is heading elsewhere in the Premier League.
At 4:10pm on August 28, The Athletic’s David Ornstein reported that Aston Villa have reached an agreement in principle to sign the 18-year-old from PSG in a deal worth €55m. The relationship between PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi and Villa co-owner Nassef Sawiris has been described as key in pushing the move towards completion.
So while Liverpool circle Sarr and wrestle with valuations, Villa are closing in on Mbaye, a player Anfield had already decided against at the price on the table.
Liverpool’s recruitment team and Fenway Sports Group now face a familiar dilemma with a familiar deadline: pay what it takes to land Sarr, or risk watching another winger slip through their fingers as the window slams shut.
