Liverpool seals N’Guessan deal for 2027 as Gakpo waits on Sarr

Liverpool are trying to live in two transfer windows at once. One eye fixed on the final hours of this summer, the other staring straight at 2027.

On Monday, Fabrizio Romano delivered the now-familiar “here we go” for Djylian N’Guessan, confirming that Liverpool have struck a deal with Saint-Etienne for the highly rated 18-year-old forward. The French teenager will remain with ASSE for another season before moving to Anfield in the summer of 2027, a long-range play that fits neatly with the club’s recent push to stockpile emerging talent.

It follows the signing of Lucca Brughmans and underlines a clear strategy: while Andoni Iraola demands firepower for the present, the recruitment department keeps quietly loading the chamber for the future.

N’Guessan deal sealed for 2027

The story first broke via Foot Mercato’s Santi Aouna, who reported “advanced negotiations” between Saint-Etienne and Liverpool for N’Guessan, whose contract in France runs until 2027. ASSE have been open about their willingness to cash in on their young star, and with limited options given the contract situation, talks quickly accelerated.

Aouna described Liverpool’s view of N’Guessan as “a great prospect for the future” and stressed there were only “a few hours left to finalize the deal… or not.” The doubt did not last long.

Romano then moved it from negotiation to done deal. Posting on X, he confirmed Liverpool had agreed the transfer, secured player-side terms, and obtained authorization for a medical. The plan is clear: N’Guessan stays at Saint-Etienne for one more campaign, then joins Liverpool in 2027 as another piece in the club’s next-generation rebuild.

Crucially, that move does not alter Liverpool’s stance in the final days of this window. N’Guessan is one for tomorrow. Iraola still needs someone for right now.

Barcola in, Gakpo out – if Liverpool get their winger

The short-term picture is far more volatile.

Bradley Barcola has already completed his medical and is poised to sign from PSG in what is expected to be one of the headline deals of Liverpool’s window. His arrival is set to unleash the next big swing in this late-summer saga: Cody Gakpo’s move to Manchester City.

Gakpo, who turned down a proposed £85m transfer to Tottenham, has chosen City and agreed personal terms, according to Romano. City have sent an £85m bid to Liverpool. The deal is there, waiting.

But Liverpool have put a lock on the door.

They will only let Gakpo go if they land a right winger before the deadline. No replacement, no exit. Everything now hangs on that search.

Sarr at the centre of the storm

That brings the spotlight directly onto Ismaila Sarr.

Romano reports that Sarr has emerged as Liverpool’s preferred option on the wing, ahead of Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh. The Senegal international has been on Liverpool’s radar before; this time, the interest has turned into concrete action.

Behind the scenes, Liverpool sent a formal offer to Crystal Palace earlier in the week. The bid: £45m plus £5m in add-ons, a £50m package. Palace rejected it.

Publicly, there had been “zero links” between Sarr and Liverpool before Romano’s revelation. The denial did not last. Once the figure emerged, the conversation shifted. Now everyone is talking about it.

Palace’s stance remains firm for the moment. Romano says the London club are still saying no to a sale at that price, even as they quietly scan the market for potential replacements in case the right proposal lands on their desk. Sarr, for his part, wants the move. He wants Liverpool. The decision now rests with the clubs.

If Liverpool return with an improved offer and Palace finally crack, Gakpo’s path to Manchester City opens. If they do not, Liverpool will keep the Dutchman and walk away from one of the window’s most dramatic late-chain deals.

A club besieged with offers

As the clock ticks down, Liverpool find themselves exactly where every major club does when a need becomes obvious: surrounded.

Romano describes wingers being offered to Liverpool “every minute” as agents and clubs circle, fully aware of the gap in Iraola’s squad and the Gakpo-sized fee potentially about to drop into the Anfield accounts. The recruitment team must decide whether to hold their nerve on Sarr, pivot to an alternative, or shut the door and keep Gakpo.

Barcola is coming. N’Guessan is parked for 2027. Gakpo has one foot out, Sarr is pushing to get in, and the market is banging on Liverpool’s door.

By Tuesday night, everyone will know whether this was the window that quietly reshaped Liverpool’s attack for years, or the one that left a £85m question mark hanging over their season.