The agent of Ismaila Sarr has revealed how close the Watford attacker came to signing for Liverpool.
The Reds considered a move for Sarr in September but baulked at the asking price of around £40million for the player, with Watford refusing to consider negotiation on either the fee or method of payment.
Liverpool instead pursued their interest in Diogo Jota and agreed an initial £41m deal of which only around 10% was required to be paid across the next 12 months.
Now Sarr's agent, Thierno Seydi, has claimed a move for the Senegal international was at an advanced stage before the Premier League champions looked elsewhere.
"With Liverpool, we were at the stage of signing the contract to bind the Reds to Ismaila Sarr," he said to Pan African Football.
"Everything was set, the monthly salary and the length of the deal. I even asked Sadio Mane to find him an apartment.
"But in the end, the English club were unable to put 40m euros on the table to finalise the deal.
"In other words, if the English clubs, which once dominated the transfer window, have difficulty raising funds. This reflects the depth of the crisis affecting football.
"Today, the damage is immeasurable with the financial and economic crisis facing clubs. Almost all clubs are in the red."
Seydi also claimed Manchester United were also keen on Sarr in the summer but Watford wouldn't accept the terms of their loan offer.
