Liverpool are reportedly sticking to a £30 million price tag for Mamadou Sakho despite facing a shortage of offers.
According to a report by The Sun, Liverpool are refusing to lower their asking price of £30 million for Mamadou Sakho even as they are receiving minimal offers. Although Crystal Palace were interested in signing the defender after a successful loan spell, they are not keen on meeting the Reds’ huge valuation.
The French defender has not played for Liverpool in the last 15 months after several disciplinary issues and falling out of favour with manager Jurgen Klopp. Sakho, though, is back at Liverpool for preseason training following a successful loan spell at Crystal Palace.
Crystal Palace played quite strongly in the second half of last season as they launched a fight to remain in the Premier League and Sakho certainly helped Palace tighten up their fragile defence and that is evident in the number of clean sheets the club recorded as they clawed their way out of the relegation battle.
Thus, it comes as no surprise that Palace are keen on signing the Frenchman but Klopp might be forced to lower Sakho’s price since it is unlikely that any other club would be willing to pay so much for him when even the Eagles seem hesitant.
Meanwhile, Liverpool have been in the market for a new centre-back, with their pursuit of Southampton star Virgil van Dijk ending after the south coast side reported them for their approach for the Dutchman. That could open up a spot for Sakho to stay at the club for a longer while but that might not be the best option for the Frenchman.
Considering how things have progressed with him and Klopp, the chances of Sakho putting on a Liverpool shirt again are extremely slim despite the fact that Lucas Leiva is rumoured to exit the club. Stoke City were also believed to be interested but are seeking a loan deal and not a permanent transfer.
Keeping all the tension between Klopp and Sakho aside, the defender can actually prove to be an asset if he was retained. Sakho is a better option when compared to Dejan Lovren since his style of play is a lot more clean and compact.
Doing so could have also allowed Liverpool to focus on other areas of the pitch to improve upon but as things stand now, the Merseyside club are likely to be forced into lowering their price to finally offload Sakho.
