Cody Gakpo has agreed to leave Liverpool for Manchester City in a possible £85million deal, and the Reds are weighing up three forward options to ease the pressure alongside Bradley Barcola's imminent arrival.
The Netherlands forward decided to leave Anfield after being presented with three opportunities: stay and fight for his place at Liverpool, join City, or move to Tottenham. He chose a switch to Manchester to work with Enzo Maresca. All parties are now reportedly working on reaching an agreement, with Liverpool expected to demand £85million — the same figure City received from Spurs for Savio earlier this week.
Ismaila Sarr leads the shortlist
Perhaps the most favoured option by those leading transfer decisions at Anfield is Ismaila Sarr. Liverpool lodged a £50m bid for the Crystal Palace forward earlier this week, with the player eager to leave Selhurst Park. Palace have already turned down offers from Galatasaray, and Sarr did not feature in either of Palace's opening two Premier League matches.
He offers a threat off the right, specifically one in behind the defence, which is atypical of players often linked with moves to Anfield. Sarr may also have a certain Sadio Mane in his ear about a move to Merseyside. "Sadio is talking to me all the time. He advises me to 'do this, do that'. He is a big brother for me," said Sarr after he arrived in England with Watford in 2019.
Yankuba Minteh and Matias Fernandez-Pardo
Liverpool were thought to have abandoned their pursuit of Yankuba Minteh when Brighton demanded £70m this week. But the Reds are set to receive a higher fee than many predicted for Gakpo, and they could decide to resurrect a move for Minteh with an extra few million in their pocket. Minteh fits Andoni Iraola's style of play more than Sarr, with a similar player in Rayan thriving last season at Bournemouth. It could prove to be a shrewd move, even if he would arrive injured.
Matias Fernandez-Pardo would be yet another hammer blow for Newcastle. The Telegraph reported on Friday that the Magpies are making a late push to sign the Lille player. The French club are hoping to receive £60m, but Liverpool hold a longstanding interest. After swooping in ahead of them for Hugo Ekitike a year ago and then prying Alexander Isak away, another transfer hijack from Liverpool would be crushing at St James' Park. The Belgian international is hoping to play in a top European competition, and Liverpool would have the advantage.
