Manchester United and Liverpool battling for Watford star Ismaila Sarr

The Watford youngster is rated at around £40m.

Ismaila-Sarr-watford
Image source: premierleague.com

Manchester United and Liverpool are reportedly set to battle for the signing of Watford forward Ismaila Sarr, while the latter one has the edge though. 

Liverpool are looking to add an attacker to their ranks after reaching an agreement with Bayern Munich midfielder Thiago Alcantara. Meanwhile, Manchester United are looking for the alternatives to long-time target Jaden Sancho and have sorted out Sarr as an ideal option.

Sarr raised everyone’s eyebrows after Watford signed him for a club-record fee of £27m from Rennes. The 22-year-old fared well in his debut season in the Premier League although the Hornets couldn’t save themselves from relegation. Sarr perhaps turned the head when he scored a double against Liverpool last season, which marked the Reds’ first defeat in the league. Prior to that, the Senegalese prospect was instrumental behind Watford’s win against Man Utd, racking up a goal and an assist. In total, Sarr racked up six goals and assists apiece in all competitions.

As far as the Red Devils are concerned, Sancho turns out to be their long-time target but have been struggling to make a breakthrough. Borussia Dortmund are persistent with their £108m valuation, which Man Utd are finding beyond their reach due to the financial constraints.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is keen on reinforcing the squad ahead of the new season and signing an attacker is a priority. United have been linked with Real Madrid star Gareth Bale before Tottenham put a spanner in the works. Douglas Costa is another option for the Old Trafford as Juventus have deemed him as transferable at the request of new manager Andrea Pirlo.

Elsewhere, Jurgen Klopp has made it clear that there would be hardly any expensive buys in the summer transfer window. While the German manager is looking at Sarr as a good option to reinforce the attack, the Reds would still struggle to sign the Senegalese man as they have spent around £25m on Thiago. Furthermore, Hornets would demand £36m for Sarr, who has a contract running until 2024.

Sarr was deployed mainly as a right-sided winger last season while he played at various positions along the forward line during his time at Rennes.

Liverpool are meanwhile looking at the possibility of signing Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele, with Klopp eyeing a reunion with his former Dortmund student. However, Barca are not considering selling the Frenchman as Ronald Koeman sees him as important for his project.

Man Utd haven’t made any signings other than Donny van de Beek.

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