Liverpool’s interest in Ismaila Sarr ends where it started, going nowhere

Another deadline day, another Liverpool pursuit that appears to be quietly dying rather than building towards a final flourish. Crystal Palace are understood to have taken a firm position on Ismaila Sarr, and according to Graeme Bailey writing for TeamTalk, Palace would knock back any further Liverpool approach for the Senegal international before tonight’s window shuts.

A story that never really got going

There had been genuine noise around Sarr in recent days, with suggestions he had climbed Liverpool’s shortlist as an extra wide option once Bradley Barcola arrived. Reports along the way pointed to an opening offer of around £50m being turned down, and to Sarr himself trying to encourage matters along from his end. None of that has been enough to move Crystal Palace off their asking price, and with hours left on the clock, the practical chances of a breakthrough now look minimal.

Gakpo’s situation looms over this one too

Liverpool’s decision to keep hold of Cody Gakpo, despite known interest from Manchester City, changes the picture here as well. If the club were not willing to sanction that departure, it was always going to be a stretch to expect them to meet Crystal Palace’s demands for Sarr this late in proceedings. Selhurst Park has not been the easiest place for Liverpool to do transfer business in recent windows, and this looks set to continue that pattern rather than break it.

There is also a squad depth argument working against any late push. Andoni Iraola already has options across the wide areas, and Barcola’s early impact has given the manager more variety in the final third than Liverpool have had for some time. With competition for places already healthy, forcing through an expensive, rushed deal becomes harder to justify with each passing hour.

It is also worth remembering that Sarr would not have been a headline signing in the way a marquee forward might be, but rather the kind of pragmatic squad addition that keeps a title challenge ticking over during a congested season. Those deals matter too, and letting one slip through indecision rather than genuine unaffordability is the sort of small miss that can look costly by January if injuries start to bite in wide areas.

Our take

Honestly, this is the sort of update that leaves us more frustrated than disappointed. If Sarr was a genuine priority, it should not have taken until deadline day for Crystal Palace to shut the door this comfortably. Either Liverpool were never fully committed to the move, or they moved too slowly and let Palace dictate the entire process. Both explanations are a little uncomfortable for a club that talks a good game about being decisive in the market.

Missing out on a target because the numbers simply do not work is one thing, supporters can live with that. What is harder to accept is the recurring pattern of Liverpool circling a name for weeks without ever forcing the issue. If Palace’s valuation was always going to be prohibitive, that should have been clear early enough to walk away calmly or to test their resolve properly, rather than drifting into deadline day with nothing resolved either way.

None of this should overshadow the more encouraging parts of the window. Gakpo staying and Barcola settling in quickly both matter more to the season ahead than adding a squad option at the eleventh hour. But episodes like this one do feed a wider sense that Liverpool’s recruitment can look reactive rather than fully in control, and that is the part supporters will want to see change before the next window comes around.