Manchester United To Not Make Offer For $52M Striker, Who Is Also Liverpool’s Target: Report

Manchester United reportedly will not make an offer for Watford striker Ismaila Sarr, who is also understood to be Liverpool FC’s target.

Even though the European summer transfer window ended on Oct. 5, the domestic transfer market is still underway in England that is due to end on Oct. 16. Soccer website Goal has confirmed that The Red Devils have decided to not make any more changes and thereby ended their links with 22-year-old forward Sarr.

Even though Man Utd signed two young strikers this summer, they failed to rope in Sarr, who has made 141 competitive appearances since his first-team debut four years back. The Goal report has stated that Man Utd wanted to sign the Senegal national on a loan deal. However, Watford, the club that has been relegated to Championship, the second-tier league in England, are only interested in a permanent deal.

Sarr, who moved from Rennes to Watford in 2019, has been valued at $52 million by the Championship club.

The report has also revealed that one of the primary reasons behind Man Utd not signing Sarr is that the club has to register its Champions League squad Tuesday and with any player arriving after that day will not be eligible to play in Europe.

Liverpool made three signings during the summer transfer market but failed to sign a striker. Even Jurgen Klopp wanted to rope in Sarr, who is The Reds superstar Sadio Mane’s Senegal teammate. Sarr and Mane were a part of the same academy in Senegal. The Watford forward, who considers Mane as his national hero, has revealed several times that he often watches videos of the Liverpool striker on YouTube before matches.

While Liverpool missed out on Timo Werner, who had been one of its top targets going into the summer window, Man Utd failed to sign any of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s primary targets.

Man Utd had four arrivals to Old Trafford on the deadline day of the summer transfer window (Oct. 5). Edinson Cavani moved from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) to Man Utd on a free transfer, while The Red Devils secured FC Porto’s defender Alex Telles on a $20 million transfer. While Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side also signed Atalanta’s forward Amad Diallo, the 18-year-old will join the side only in January 2021. Man Utd also added a young striker, Facundo Pellistri, for $11 million from Uruguayan club Penarol.