Crystal Palace Urged to Resist Liverpool's Push for Ismaila Sarr

Crystal Palace are being urged to dig in and resist Liverpool’s late push for Ismaila Sarr, with Ally McCoist warning that losing the winger now would be “a disaster” for the club.

The Senegal international is agitating for a move to Anfield before deadline day, with talkSPORT understanding he sees Liverpool as his next step and the Reds viewing him as a ready-made replacement for Cody Gakpo, who is being courted by Manchester City.

Sarr has three years left on his Palace deal, but his recent social media move tells its own story. He has stripped his Instagram of all Palace-related content, a modern transfer flare shot into the sky that leaves little doubt about his intentions.

Palace, though, are refusing to blink. At least for now.

McCoist: Palace must not fold

Speaking on talkSPORT Breakfast, McCoist made it clear where he stands on the saga.

“I don’t see it happening,” he said. “I’m not sure he’s exactly what Liverpool need. I just think it would be a disaster for Palace if they lost him.”

For a side already under pressure after a bleak start to the Premier League season, the thought of losing their most dangerous attacker days before the window closes borders on reckless. McCoist’s message was simple: hold the line.

He also argued that Sarr’s arrival would complicate life for Andoni Iraola at Liverpool, rather than solve problems. The Basque coach is already managing a crowded forward line, and the picture is about to get even busier.

Liverpool are closing in on Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain in a deal worth up to £123million, a marquee signing that will demand minutes and status. Drop Sarr into that mix and the jostling for places becomes even more intense.

For McCoist, that’s a headache Liverpool don’t need – and a hole Palace simply cannot afford to open up.

Stelling backs Sarr to shine at Anfield

Not everyone on the Breakfast show agreed. Jeff Stelling sees the move very differently.

“I think he’d do well at Liverpool,” Stelling said. “I didn’t expect him to kick on the way he did at Palace, but he really has.”

The numbers back up that sense of surprise and admiration. Since arriving from Marseille in August 2024, Sarr has racked up 33 goals and 10 assists for Palace, a devastating return for a wide forward and the sort of productivity that naturally attracts the elite.

His influence has stretched beyond the league. Sarr’s attacking thrust helped drive Palace to silverware, playing a key role in their FA Cup triumph and Conference League success. For a club of Palace’s stature, those trophies are landmark achievements; Sarr has been at the heart of that story.

Right now, though, he has yet to kick a ball this season. A groin injury has kept him sidelined, leaving Palace to stumble through the opening weeks without their star turn.

Palace wobbling without their talisman

The early signs without Sarr have been grim. Pierre Sage’s side have lost both of their opening Premier League fixtures, a 2-0 defeat to Everton followed by a bruising 4-1 loss at Manchester City last Friday.

No points. Eight goals conceded across two games. One of four Premier League teams still stuck on zero.

Those numbers sharpen McCoist’s warning. Remove Sarr from the equation permanently, and a difficult start risks becoming a full-blown crisis. Palace are already trying to rediscover their identity under Sage; selling their most potent attacker at the end of the window would rip out a key pillar of that rebuild.

The club’s stance remains firm: they do not want to sell, especially not this late. But player power, Liverpool’s pull and the clock ticking down can turn a firm “no” into a nervous pause very quickly.

On Saturday, Palace travel to Fulham chasing their first points of the campaign. They will do so still waiting for Sarr to return from injury, still fending off Liverpool’s interest, still clinging to a player who has become central to their recent rise.

The question now is stark: can Palace resist the pressure from Anfield and keep hold of the man who helped drag them to trophies, or will this window mark the moment their project is torn open just as the season is starting to bite?