The battle over Ismaïla Sarr is not completely settled at Crystal Palace. While the Senegalese forward wanted to leave the club this summer and Liverpool submitted a £50 million offer, chairman Steve Parish explained the reasons behind the failed transfer and responded to criticisms made by his agent, Diomansy Kamara.
According to Parish, the main concern was the amount of the offer and its late arrival. Liverpool only approached five days before the transfer window closed, with a proposal that Palace deemed insufficient.
“When a club receives an offer for its top scorer five days before the window closes, it is inevitable that the transaction will be difficult to finalize,” the chairman stated.
However, Parish admits that Sarr had good reasons for wanting to change clubs. He believes a departure could have been facilitated if Liverpool had made a suitable offer earlier in the window.
The Palace chairman then criticized the player's agents following Diomansy Kamara's public comments.
“The best of them know how to manage the player's expectations rather than blame others,” he asserted, adding that their role should include facilitating negotiations.
Ismaïla Sarr ultimately remained at Crystal Palace after a particularly successful 2025-2026 season, during which he scored 21 goals in all competitions and contributed to the club's title in the Conference League.
