Former scout Mick Brown believes Crystal Palace will look to keep Ismaila Sarr amid reports of interest from AC Milan ahead of January.
Ismaila Sarr made his long-desired return to Premier League football after a stint at Marseille. He has struggled to be relevant when playing with Watford in the Championship. Crystal Palace offered him a return to the English top-flight and specifically to London, where he was well-settled.
Palace signed Sarr in a €15 million deal from Marseille, although the attacker has yet to hit the ground running at Selhurst Park. Oliver Glasner has used him in different roles on the wing and even in the centre-forward spot on occasions. However, the Senegal international is yet to open his account.
Palace collectively struggled as they entered the relegation zone before the international break following a narrow loss to league leaders Liverpool. In the last few weeks, there have been links with AC Milan, as the Rossoneri are targeting the 26-year-old ahead of January.
Milan attacker Samuel Chukwueze is attracting interest from Premier League sides, as they view Sarr as a replacement for the winger. Former scout Mick Brown acknowledged the links to Milan, although, in his comments on Football Insider, he insisted that Palace was not planning to sell Sarr ahead of the January window.
Brown said, “I’ve been told Palace won’t let him go,“
“They hold all the cards in this situation because he signed a long-term deal when he joined. I know they’re short of options in his position, so it doesn’t really matter who’s interested.
“Even if a club came in with a bid above what they paid for him, they have to consider how valuable he can be in their team and his worth to them. That balance between keeping your squad strong and being open to selling players if there’s money to be made is a situation a lot of clubs deal with.”
“AC Milan are a huge club, of course, but so soon after his move to Palace I can’t see a situation where Palace would want to see him leave – or where the player would want to go anyway.”
Palace have struggled in the attacking areas in the wake of Michael Olise’s departure. They have performed decently, but their table position does not resemble a good picture. Moreover, they are still short in the attacking areas, as they might end up bringing in another winger or striker ahead of the January window.
Hence, selling Sarr, who only arrived a short while back, does not make any sense from a Palace perspective. There’s a wider expectation that the 26-year-old will come good with his form and begin putting in the performances that made him a coveted star during his time at Watford.
