Steve Parish reveals why Liverpool’s Ismaila Sarr move collapsed

Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish has revealed that Liverpool’s summer move for Ismaila Sarr fell through because their proposed fee fell well short of Palace’s valuation.

Liverpool approached Palace about the Senegal international during the final week of the transfer window as they explored options to strengthen their attack.

However, the enquiry arrived only days before the deadline, and Palace had little intention of losing one of their most important players without receiving a substantial offer.

Parish has now explained that Liverpool indicated a figure which Palace did not consider remotely sufficient to sanction Sarr’s departure.

“It’s unfortunate with Ismaila, but that wasn’t really a situation that was of our doing,” Parish told The Athletic.

“A club came in and, with the amount of money they bid, they couldn’t seriously think in that market it was going to get done at that level.”

Parish added that Liverpool did not return with an improved proposal after Palace made their position clear.

The Palace chairman also pointed towards the level of fees elsewhere in the market when explaining the club’s stance.

“If you’re selling players for £90 million and then you want to bid us half of that for the replacement, it’s fine, you can do it,” he added. “But it’s not going to happen.”

Liverpool had been considering Sarr after encountering difficulties in their pursuit of Brighton & Hove Albion winger Yankuba Minteh.

Sarr had also attracted interest from Turkey earlier in the window, with Palace rejecting an offer worth around £26m from Galatasaray.

His desire to explore a move subsequently became a source of tension, with agent Diomansy Kamara publicly criticising Palace’s handling of the situation after the transfer window closed.

Parish insisted Palace would have attempted to facilitate Sarr’s departure had an acceptable offer arrived earlier.

The timing made finding an adequate replacement particularly difficult, especially given Sarr’s importance during the previous campaign.

The Senegal international scored 21 goals across all competitions in 2025-26 and was named Palace’s Player of the Season and Players’ Player of the Season.

He also helped the club win the Europa Conference League and was subsequently named the competition’s Player of the Season.

Parish has defended Palace’s refusal to compromise on their valuation, and stressed that there is no lasting problem with Sarr.

The chairman believes wanting to pursue another opportunity is natural during a player’s career and hopes Palace supporters continue backing the forward.

Sarr ultimately remained at Selhurst Park and still has three years left on his contract, leaving Palace in a strong negotiating position if Liverpool or another club renews their interest.