Crystal Palace forward Ismaila Sarr never got his dream move to Liverpool after the Eagles refused to compromise on their $101m valuation, prompting the player's agent to issue a damning statement
Crystal Palace forward Ismaila Sarr
Ismaila Sarr remains a Crystal Palace player after Liverpool failed to strike an agreement for his transfer
The agent of Crystal Palace forward Ismaila Sarr has offered a scathing verdict on the treatment of the Senegal international during the final days of the summer transfer window after he was denied a dream move to Liverpool this week.
Sarr, 28, became the subject of strong interest from the Reds over the past seven days as they looked to bolster their attacking options, with Andoni Iraola's side submitting two offers for the player, only to be shut down by Palace.
In an attempt to force a move from Selhurst Park to Anfield, Sarr even deleted all evidence of the Europa Conference League winners from his social media, yet his parent club refused to compromise on their $101m valuation of him, leading Liverpool to walk away from the deal.
With the summer transfer window slamming shut late on Tuesday, it now means that Sarr will remain a Palace player until January 2027 at the very earliest, when the transfer window opens up once more.
However, having seemingly checked out of being at Selhurst Park, Sarr must now go back to training and playing for Pierre Sage's side, a far from easy process that the Senegalese's agent, Diomansy Kamara, has now used to offer a damning review of recent events.
Taking to his Instagram Stories, Kamara also referenced AS Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara's failed transfer to Chelsea, which saw a proposed $63.6 million move collapse in the final hour after the Ligue 1 side dramatically reneged on a fully written club-to-club agreement.
Crystal Palace forward Ismaila Sarr
Sarr was denied his dream move to Liverpool after Crystal Palace refused to budge on its valuation of him
"The cases of Ismaila Sarr and Lamine Camara must all interrogate us," Kamara, a former Premier League player himself with Portsmouth, West Brom and Fulham, wrote, via a French to English translation.
"We have to get out of this logic where the African player can sometimes give the feeling that he is just a commodity: you buy it, you set its price, you negotiate its future and, too often, your will seems to go to the background.
"Our African players deserve respect. The respect of their work. The respect of their career. Respecting their ambitions. The respect of their voices.
"A transfer shouldn't just be a matter of two clubs and numbers. Behind every contract, there's a man, a career, dreams and life choices.
Lamine Camara
Kamara also spoke out on Lamine Camara's failed transfer from AS Monaco to Chelsea, which collapsed at the last minute on deadline day(Image: Getty Images)
"The fact that clubs can sometimes have the final word is a reality of professional football. But one question remains: what about the career and the will of the player?
"The player must be able to be heard and respected in the decisions that determine his future. Let's never forget what's important: behind every success, it's the players who write history first."
It's believed that Liverpool first submitted a verbal proposal worth under $54 million for Sarr, which was quickly dismissed, before submitting a final formal bid of $67 million for the winger, which was again flatly rejected by Crystal Palace.