Liverpool aren’t short of forwards with Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Diogo Jota, Takumi Minamino and Harvey Elliot at their disposal, but Calciomercato say the Reds have ‘strong interest’ in a potential addition with Premier League experience – Ismaila Sarr.
The 23-year-old joined Watford on a five-year deal from Stade Rennais in 2019 and has gone on to make 82 appearances in all competitions, scoring 24 goals with 16 assists. Sarr had a hand in 26 goals from 39 Championship games last season and has picked up where he left off this campaign.
The Senegalese international, who has eight goals and two assists in 36 games for his country, boasts five goals in 12 Premier League games for Watford this season, which is why he’s garnering attention. Sarr has had more successful dribbles (22/38) than Mane (15/28), so he’d be a good addition to the squad.
Liverpool would have to pay in excess of £35m to sign Sarr who earns £63k-per-week/£3.3m-a-year, so he wouldn’t exactly break the bank. Calciomercato say there’s interest from the Merseysiders but don’t know whether that will lead to an official offer.
Sarr has three years remaining on his deal at Vicarage Road and has been a regular when fit, so Watford aren’t going to let him go without a fight – The Athletic noted how Premier League giants were circling the 23-year-old over the summer but failed to make the Hornets budge.
Minamino, who has scored 16 goals and made eight assists in 35 games for Japan, has had a hand in 10 goals from 39 games for Liverpool (January 2020 – present), but he’s not commanding a starting place under Jurgen Klopp due to stiff competition – 63.5% of his appearances have come from the bench this season. An upgrade for the 26-year-old might be required as a result.
And as for Elliot, the 18-year-old is slowly recovering from his ankle break but is still a long-term prospect rather, so Sarr might be the better for the short-term.
