Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish has revealed that the club could give up on Mamadou Sakho due to Liverpool’s demands over a transfer fee.
The 27-year-old is fresh from playing a crucial role in keeping the Eagles in the Premier League, as his loan spell from the Reds was a huge success.
However, with that deal now over, question marks have once again been raised over his future and the Evening Standard report that Palace aren’t willing to pay £30m to acquire his services on a permanent basis.
Further, Sakho is on around £100,000-a-week, and that could also prove to be problematic for Palace as they don’t have pockets deep enough to satisfy such an expensive transaction.
Following Sam Allardyce’s departure at the end of the season, it’s likely that a new manager will be appointed first before any transfer decisions are made, but it doesn’t sound good for Sakho if he harboured hopes of staying at Selhurst Park moving forward.
“I think that is going to be a very difficult one for us to do,” said Parish. “I think Liverpool want a big number for him. That is a tough one to make happen on a permanent basis. We need to look at the budgets and be realistic.”
If forced to return to Anfield, it remains to be seen what Sakho’s next move will be as it’s unlikely he has a future with Liverpool given that Jurgen Klopp froze him out of the first team earlier this season after a series of disciplinary problems.
In turn, he’ll have to evaluate the situation as it unfolds, but it sounds pretty bleak in terms of Palace’s ability to sign him outright this summer and that will be a blow to them too having seen Sakho make such a positive impact in a short space of time.