Liverpool's Interest in Sarr: Palace Boss Addresses Injury Claims
Liverpool target Sarr ‘in real pain’ as Palace boss shuts down training strike talk
Crystal Palace manager Sage has moved quickly to shut down claims that Ismaila Sarr is refusing to train in a bid to force a move away from Selhurst Park, insisting the winger is simply injured and “in real pain” with a groin problem.
Liverpool have approached Palace about Sarr after their move for Yankuba Minteh collapsed, with reports of a £50 million bid on the table and Galatasaray also circling. Noise has grown around the 28-year-old in recent days, but Sage is adamant the story on the training ground is far more straightforward.
“Ismaila Sarr is injured. He is in pain with his groin – that’s why you didn’t see him with us today,” Sage said, as reported by the Liverpool Echo. “He is in individual training because he is really in pain with his groin. But we’ll prepare him, he needs time.”
The timing has inevitably fuelled suspicion. Sarr missed Palace’s Premier League opener against Everton and will also be absent for Friday night’s meeting with champions Manchester City, a high-profile fixture that would normally showcase one of the club’s most dangerous attacking outlets.
Transfer speculation has filled the gap. Liverpool’s interest, Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal’s name in the frame, and links to Galatasaray have all swirled around a player who still has three years left on his Palace contract. For Sage, that kind of attention is exactly the sort of distraction that can unsettle even the most focused professional.
“It’s always difficult for a player when your name is associated with a club like Liverpool,” he admitted. “For the moment, the most important thing is to understand the player is not able to play and is in treatment, and what happens with his potential future is really far from me.”
With the transfer window ticking towards its close, Sarr finds himself at the eye of a storm he cannot fully control. Sage revealed he has held private talks with the forward this week, aiming to protect his mindset while speculation rages over a possible switch to Anfield or a lucrative move abroad.
“I understand that for everybody to have this kind of contact is difficult, because you hesitate a lot,” Sage continued. “But for the moment, he is with us. He is under contract. He is injured and maybe you can make a link between his injury and the situation. But for me, he is honest and I have no problem with that.”
So the message from Palace is clear: Sarr is not on strike, not downing tools, not forcing the issue. He is on the treatment table, waiting, while one of the summer’s most intriguing transfer sagas hangs on whether a groin heals before a deadline closes.
