Liverpool's Attacking Rebuild: N'Guessan, Gakpo, and Sarr
Liverpool’s attacking rebuild is accelerating on two very different timelines.
On one side, the future: Djylian N’Guessan, an 18-year-old Saint-Etienne forward earmarked as one of Ligue 2’s brightest attacking prospects. On the other, the here and now: Cody Gakpo’s looming move to Manchester City and a tense late-window pursuit of Crystal Palace winger Ismaila Sarr.
This is not a gentle reshaping. It is a full-on, high-wire act before the window slams shut.
Liverpool land N’Guessan for 2027
Fabrizio Romano has delivered his trademark “here we go” on Liverpool’s deal for N’Guessan, confirming that the club have reached an agreement with Saint-Etienne for the versatile attacker.
N’Guessan will not arrive immediately. The plan is long-term. He will remain with Saint-Etienne for another season before joining Liverpool in the summer of 2027, a move that mirrors the Reds’ recent capture of Lucca Brughmans as another investment in the next generation.
The deal follows reporting from Foot Mercato’s Santi Aouna, who revealed that negotiations between ASSE and Liverpool had moved into an advanced stage, with only “last details to settle.” Saint-Etienne have been open about the reality of their position: the teenager’s contract runs until 2027, but his emergence has made a sale almost inevitable if the right offer lands.
Liverpool clearly believe they have moved early for a player they view as a “great prospect for the future.” The timing is deliberate. As the senior attack undergoes serious turbulence, the club are quietly stacking talent for the next cycle.
Gakpo edges towards Manchester City
The turbulence starts with Gakpo.
Romano has stated that the Netherlands international has an agreement in place with Manchester City over personal terms, with City already sending an £85m bid to Anfield. Gakpo had been linked with a move to Tottenham, but the forward has chosen the Etihad path instead.
Yet this is not a done deal in practical terms. Liverpool have drawn a clear line: Gakpo leaves only if a replacement right winger is secured before the deadline. No winger, no sale.
That condition has turned the Gakpo situation into the central domino of Liverpool’s window. One move unlocks another. Or blocks it entirely.
Sarr at the centre of the winger chase
The identity of that replacement is no secret anymore.
Romano has made it clear that Ismaila Sarr has emerged as Liverpool’s preferred option ahead of Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh. Sarr is the leading candidate, the name at the top of the list as the club scramble to balance present needs with future planning.
Crystal Palace, though, are holding firm. The London club are still refusing to green-light Sarr’s exit, even as they quietly scan the market for possible winger signings of their own in case a proposal arrives that they simply cannot ignore.
Liverpool have already tested Palace’s resolve. A written offer worth £45m plus £5m in add-ons – a £50m package – was sent earlier in the week and rejected. No verbal posturing, no loose enquiry. An official bid, turned down.
Publicly, the links were denied at first. Now they are everywhere. Romano insists he can “guarantee 100%” that the offer went in. The rejection leaves Liverpool with a choice: return with an improved bid or pivot elsewhere with the clock ticking.
Sarr’s stance is clear. He wants the move. He wants Liverpool. The decision now sits squarely with the two clubs.
A frantic endgame in attack
While agents flood Liverpool with winger options “every minute,” as Romano put it, the club’s strategy is sharply defined.
They are pushing for a high-level right-sided attacker to unlock Gakpo’s sale to City for a huge fee. At the same time, they are quietly closing deals like N’Guessan and Brughmans to make sure the next wave of talent is already on the books.
Barcola’s imminent arrival from PSG, after passing his medical on Sunday, only intensifies the sense of churn in the forward line. His signing is expected to trigger Gakpo’s move to Manchester, provided the Sarr situation – or another winger deal – breaks Liverpool’s way.
It leaves the club walking a tightrope between risk and reward in the final hours of the window. One big sale, one big signing, and a future star already locked in for 2027.
The question now is simple: will Liverpool get the winger they want in time to cash in on Gakpo, or will they be forced to hold their nerve and keep a forward who already has one eye on the Etihad?
