Liverpool and Crystal Palace Reportedly Agree Mamadou Sakho Transfer Fee

Liverpool and Crystal Palace have reportedly agreed a fee* for the transfer of Mamadou Sakho today, with £20M set to be paid up front for the centre half plus a further £10M of add-ons that could see the final fee rise to eventually meet Liverpool’s full £30M asking price.

This ends a long and purgatorial spell at Liverpool for the player that saw him sidelined by manager Jürgen Klopp last summer following a subsequently overturned doping ban and pre-season injury issues, a spell in the club’s U23 reserve side, and then a half season spent on loan with Palace.

Though Sakho has trained at the club over the summer, he has not taken part in any action with the first team and did not participate in pre-season. He is set to join a Crystal Palace side in crisis, with new manager Frank de Boer having fallen out with the club’s sporting director and at risk of being sacked.

That could lead to a return for Sam Allardyce, who managed Palace last season while Sakho was there. The uncertainty, though, is not expected to derail the deal, as Sakho has already agreed personal terms with the London club and will now undergo a medical before formally completing the move.

*Addendum: Despite it having been reported as a done deal by journalists with The Guardian and Independent with known links to Crystal Palace, Liverpool have since denied a deal has been done as the club continue to hold out for a higher fee.