Sevilla have reportedly stalled their interest on Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho. The La Liga side had been linked to the Frenchman but now appear set to cut their interest in the 26-year-old.
The Reds want £20m for Sakho, according to Goal, and Sevilla boss Jorge Sampaoli has said he’s unsure if he will further strengthen his squad after bringing in Clement Lenglet and Stevan Jovetic.
“I don’t know if we will modify our squad again,” Sampaoli said. “Now, I think that we won’t reinforce more positions.
“We thought about signing another centre-back because [Daniel] Carrico had surgery, but it will be complicated”.
Several clubs, including Southampton and Swansea, have been unwilling to match his wages, understood to be around £105,000 a week, despite showing strong interest over the past few weeks.
The 26-year-old arrived at Anfield for a fee of £18m from Paris Saint-Germain in 2013, but has not made a first-team appearance for Liverpool this season and has been playing for the club’s under-23 side.
Sakho was sent home from Liverpool’s pre-season tour of the United States by Jurgen Klopp after turning up late for their flight to America and interrupting an interview the Reds boss was conducting.
Liverpool accepted a loan offer for Sakho from Stoke at the start of the season but the central defender turned a move to the Bet365 Stadium.
The Reds travel to Old Trafford to face rivals Manchester United on Sunday and Sakho is once again expected to miss out on a place in Liverpool’s squad.
Meanwhile, reports from Turkey suggesting that Galatasaray are sending officials over to England to discuss a possible transfer.
Turkish newspaper Güneş Gazetesi (via Sportslens) understand that Galatasaray officials are travelling to Merseyside to discuss a possible deal with both the player and his club.
The Super Lig club are unlikely to be able to meet Liverpool’s price tag of £20m, so they will be hoping to persuade the Reds to lower the fee, as well as convincing Sakho himself that a move to Turkey would be preferable.
But, even though Sakho has been capped 28 times by France, Klopp’s decision to publicise the defender’s position at the club means that any potential bidders are unlikely to submit a substantial offer, considering the sale would also be in Liverpool’s interests.