Crystal Palace manager Pierre Sage says Ismaila Sarr will not leave the club for Liverpool in January after the proposed move failed to materialise.
Liverpool had considered the 28-year-old Senegal international as a possible replacement for Mohamed Salah, but no transfer was completed. Sage has now indicated that Crystal Palace do not intend to allow Sarr to depart during the middle of the season.
“He needs to digest it,” Sage said when asked about the forward and the collapse of the move.
Sarr’s potential switch to Liverpool had placed the Crystal Palace forward at the centre of transfer speculation. The Premier League club were assessing him as an option to succeed Salah, but the interest did not result in an agreement between the clubs or a completed deal for the player.
Sage’s comments also rule out the possibility of the transfer being revived when the January window opens. The Crystal Palace manager said the club are not planning to release Sarr midway through the campaign, with the team’s involvement in European competition an important factor in that decision.
The manager’s position leaves Sarr set to remain at Crystal Palace, despite Liverpool having identified him as a possible solution in attack. His future had become a subject of discussion because of the reported interest from Liverpool and the possibility that he could have taken on a role linked to Salah’s replacement.
There is no indication from Sage that Crystal Palace are considering a change of approach in January. Instead, the manager stressed the club’s desire to retain the player while the season is under way, particularly as Crystal Palace continue to balance domestic commitments with their participation in European competition.
For Sarr, the failed move now has to be put behind him. Sage’s assessment was that the forward needed time to process the disappointment, while also making clear that Crystal Palace’s immediate priority was to keep him at the club.
Liverpool’s interest therefore remains without a conclusion, while Crystal Palace have drawn a firm line under the prospect of a January departure. The Senegalese forward remains part of Sage’s plans, and the club do not intend to sanction a mid-season transfer even though Liverpool had viewed him as a potential successor to Salah.
