Richard Hughes gets answer in deal for £50m African forward

Richard Hughes gets answer in deal for £50m African forward Liverpool seem to be getting desperate. It’s been a week of transfer rejection - with two bids failing to hit the mark for Yankuba Minteh. The 22-year-old Gambian was approached for a deal by the Reds last week but Brighton turned down offers worth £50m and £60m for the right winger. Instead the Seagulls are looking for £80m before doing business for their left-footed star. Liverpool have turned to the market for alternatives - alighting on Ismaila Sarr of Crystal Palace. Liverpool make effort to sign Ismaila Sarr Fabrizio Romano claimed on Wednesday that Richard Hughes slid an offer worth £50m across the Eagles’ desk in a bid to lure the UEFA Conference League champions into a deal. Sarr - under contract until 2029 - is currently out of Pierre Sage’s squad officially due to an injury. But Palace have come under significant transfer pressure for the African attacker - from Galatasaray in Turkey as well as Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia. Liverpool have now been added to the mix for Sarr - who plays on the right side of the Palace attack or else at attacking midfield. Crystal Palace would only sell for astronomical sum David Ornstein in the Athletic has confirmed Liverpool’s interest in Sarr - and also added that talks did not make it past the “exploratory” stage. That chimes with the same kind of effort the Liverpool sporting director made for Ibrahim Mbaye before learning about Paris Saint-Germain’s £60m asking price for Sarr’s compatriot. “Exploratory talks for Sarr were not followed by a bid and sources have told The Athletic that only an astronomical offer would change Palace’s stance and, with other targets still in mind, Liverpool are unlikely to budge,” the report reads. Liverpool also chasing deal for Barcola Liverpool have of course got other irons in the fire - including PSG’s Bradley Barcola. He prefers to play on the left but if the 2024/25 Premier League champions fail to land a specialist right winger then we can expect the 23-year-old Frenchman to shuffle across. That is of course if his signing can be wrapped up ahead of Arsenal - who are seeking to gazump the Reds in a deal for the France international with Gabriel Martinelli about to join Al-Hilal.