Liverpool turn to Crystal Palace's Sarr after £60m Minteh bid rejected by Brighton

Liverpool are considering Crystal Palace winger Ismaila Sarr as a potential Salah replacement after Brighton rejected bids of £50m and £60m for Yankuba Minteh, leaving the club still searching for wide reinforcements this summer.

The Merseyside club have not yet made a formal offer for the 28-year-old Senegal international, but are exploring him as one of several options. Sarr missed Palace’s Premier League opener against Everton on Saturday, with manager Pierre Sage attributing his absence to injury rather than transfer speculation.

“He is under contract, as I told you,” Sage said on Wednesday. “He’s injured and, maybe you can make a link between his injury and the situation, but for me, he’s honest, and I have no problem with that. I spoke with him this morning about that, yesterday about that too, and we just want him on the pitch.”

Sarr is not a new name on Liverpool’s radar. The club targeted him in 2020 before ultimately signing Diogo Jota instead. He has since proved a persistent thorn in their side, scoring four goals against them last season — including one in the Community Shield and two at Anfield in the Carabao Cup.

Liverpool’s summer pursuit of wide options has been broad and largely unsuccessful so far. Beyond the failed Minteh bids, they offered a €100m package for Yan Diomande, who instead joined Real Madrid from RB Leipzig. They have also identified Bradley Barcola as a target, though Paris Saint-Germain’s asking price for the France international has exceeded what Liverpool are willing to pay.

In the interim, academy product Rio Ngumoha has been deployed in Salah’s former right-wing role, while summer signing Victor Munoz came off the bench in Sunday’s 2-2 draw at Newcastle and made an immediate impact — winning a penalty that Dominik Szoboszlai converted.