Crystal Palace will have to break their record transfer fee if they’re to sign Watford attacker Ismaila Sarr this summer, with Liverpool also interested in the Senegal international.
According to the Evening Standard, the Eagles have been told by the Championship side they will only allow Sarr to leave this summer for around £30m, a fee which eclipses that of what Palace paid to sign Christian Benteke from Liverpool in 2016, with the Reds looking to now beat the south London side to the winger.
Sarr is likely to leave Watford before the closure of the transfer window with numerous Premier League sides interested in signing the 24-year-old winger, with Everton, Leeds United and West Ham reportedly keen on the Hornets superstar, as well as Liverpool.
With Watford setting a price tag for Sarr, there’s a strong chance that the attacker will finally leave Vicarage Road this summer after years of speculation, and for Palace, they could make a big statement if they’re to break the bank to sign the former Stade Rennais star.
Patrick Vieira has done well in overhauling Palace’s squad over the past 12 months, turning an ageing but efficient side into one of the youngest and most ambitious in the Premier League, and signing Sarr could add another vital piece to the puzzle for the Selhurst Park side.
Indeed, Palace have shown in their opening two games of the Premier League that they can match the intensity and quality of some of the biggest sides in the division, and bringing Sarr into the fold could add some much-needed killer edge and dynamism to an exciting frontline that is miss that extra something.
Palace need to break their transfer record to beat Liverpool to Sarr signing
Palace have been some of the shrewdest operators in the transfer market ever since their return to the Premier League in 2013, yet for Sarr, the Watford star is worth the financial risk given how explosive the winger is and how perfectly the Liverpool target suits Vieira’s long-term vision for the Eagles.
Whilst £30m is a lot for a club like Palace, the potential outcome of signing a place like Sarr is enormous, with the attacker having the potential to transform the club’s fortunes from an exciting midtable side to one that could fight for a seventh-place finish and European football.
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