'African players are not a commodity' - Agent rages after Sarr and Camara transfers collapse

2 Sept 2026 13:05 BST | 4 min read

FT Desk

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The agent of Ismaila Sarr has slammed the treatment of his client, as well as his compatriot Lamine Camara, during the recently closed transfer window.

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As the final weeks and days of the window came, Liverpool found themselves scrambling for a replacement for Mohamed Salah on the right wing. Most of their focus had been on bringing in Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain but as the Frenchman usually features on the left, the Reds would still be light on the right.

Sarr, who can comfortably play across all three forward spots but, again, is not an out-and-out right winger, was eventually targeted.

Liverpool's offer of €58 million was rejected by Crystal Palace, who demanded at least €87m for their star attacker.

Current ETV

Ismaïla Sarr

F, M (R)

C. Palace

Ismaïla Sarr

F, M (R)

C. Palace

ETV Range

€27.2M - €33.3M

The Reds had no intention of going that high and so negotiations quickly broke down despite Sarr being keen on a dream move to Anfield.

Meanwhile, on the final day of the transfer window, Camara found himself in the middle of a bizarre saga between Chelsea and Monaco.

The French side were willing to make one big sale on the day and that would either be Camara or Folarin Balogun, who seemed destined for Everton.

When the Balogun deal fell apart, Monaco agreed to sell Camara to Chelsea for €55m. When the Balogun deal appeared to be back on, they increased their asking price.

In the end, neither deal happened, leaving Monaco with an unhappy Senegalese midfielder.

Sarr's agent, former player Diomansy Kamara, believes African players are treated like commodities in the transfer market.

“The cases of Ismaila Sarr and Lamine Camara must all interrogate us," he said in a statement.

“We have to get out of this logic where the African player can sometimes give the feeling that he is just a commodity: you buy it, you set its price, you negotiate its future and, too often, your will seems to go to the background.

“Our African players deserve respect. The respect of their work. The respect of their career. Respecting their ambitions. The respect of their voices.

© IMAGO - Ismaila Sarr was keen to move to Liverpool

“A transfer shouldn't just be a matter of two clubs and numbers. Behind every contract, there's a man, a career, dreams and life choices.

“The fact that clubs can sometimes have the final word is a reality of professional football. But one question remains: what about the career and the will of the player?

“The player must be able to be heard and respected in the decisions that determine his future. Let's never forget what's important: behind every success, it's the players who write history first.”

Chelsea had been keen to sign Camara as a replacement for Enzo Fernandez, who joined Manchester City for a joint-record €145m fee.

The Blues also reportedly made approaches to Everton for James Garner, Roma for Manu Kone and Bournemouth for Alex Scott.

In the summer window, the club spent €406.70m on new transfers but remarkably still made a profit, with the Fernandez sale taking their outgoing deals to €447.80m