Liverpool have reportedly decided whether to reignite their interest in Crystal Palace winger Ismaila Sarr when the January transfer window opens, after failing to land the 28-year-old during the summer.

The Reds were active in the recent window, securing wide attackers Victor Munoz and Bradley Barcola, but they also made a concerted effort to bring in a specialist right winger. Sarr, along with Ibrahim Mbaye and Yankuba Minteh, emerged as the primary targets for that position. After deciding that Mbaye—who eventually joined Aston Villa—was too expensive for his age, Liverpool turned their attention to Sarr and Minteh.

Meziesblog confirmed on Tuesday that Liverpool submitted a verbal offer of just under £40 million for Sarr, which was promptly rejected by Palace. While other outlets have reported a higher £50 million proposal, Meziesblog understands Liverpool never reached that sum. The club also made approaches of £50 million and £60 million for Minteh but were deterred by Brighton’s demands of £70-80 million.

According to Football Insider, Liverpool “will consider making another move to sign Ismaila Sarr in January after failing to agree a deal before the summer deadline”. The report adds that “Sarr still wants to join Liverpool and he will stay on their radar in the months to come”.

However, Meziesblog understands that Palace would demand over £50 million to sell the Senegal international, a price that could rise even further given the difficulty of negotiating deals in the winter window.

Crystal Palace boss Pierre Sage acknowledged the disappointment for his player, saying: “He needs to recover because he is, and always was, injured. He’s still our player, and we are happy with that. He has to digest [the disappointment] for sure, because it’s a dream for a lot of players to play for this kind of club”. Sage added that Sarr “needs to give a good season with us, to perform with us, to score a lot of goals as he did last year”.

Sarr’s agent has also weighed in, insisting in a statement that “African players deserve respect” after both the forward and Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara missed out on major Premier League transfers.

The potential January move would please pundit Jamie Carragher, who expressed his concerns on Monday Night Football: “I’m disappointed. I’m not quite sure what we’re going to do on that right wing right now. It doesn’t look a balanced squad”.