Sources: Crystal Palace make Ismaila Sarr transfer decision amid Saudi twist
Crystal Palace have ruled out selling Ismaila Sarr despite interest from Saudi Pro League clubs, sources have told Football Insider.
The 28-year-old has not featured for Pierre Sage's side this season after the Eagles rejected a £50million offer from Liverpool in the closing stages of the summer transfer window.
The Saudi Pro League window, though, is open until mid-October, giving clubs in the Middle East weeks to explore deals after European windows closed this month.
However, as I revealed on the latest edition of Football Insider's Transfer Insider podcast, Crystal Palace are not considering selling Sarr without the ability to land a replacement.
A number of Saudi Pro League clubs are believed to be keeping tabs on the Senegal international's situation in case Palace open the door for his exit amid his ongoing absence.
However, he remains a big part of Sage's plans for the season, with Crystal Palace competing for silverware on all fronts after last season's Conference League success.
Could Crystal Palace be tempted to sell Ismaila Sarr?
Former Man United chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider on 1 September that Sarr was attempting to force through a late move away from Crystal Palace.
After missing out on his desired exit, though, the Eagles are hoping to see him return to action in the near future and have no plans to entertain offers in the coming weeks.
Despite the interest from the Saudi Pro League, Sarr is likely to miss out on another potential move, and will instead have to return to playing regularly for Palace.
Speaking on the Transfer Insider podcast, I explained: "It's highly unlikely that Crystal Palace would allow Ismaila Sarr to move to the Saudi Pro League at this stage.
"If Palace weren't willing to sanction Sarr's departure while the transfer window was still open in Europe, I don't see how they would leave themselves short by allowing him to leave now.
"They wouldn't be able to bring in a direct replacement for him in that respect, so it's not something I would expect them to entertain.
"So yeah, I don't see how Palace would want to weaken their squad by letting Sarr go, having turned down big money offers in the summer for him."
When will Sarr return to the Crystal Palace squad?
Sarr's future at Crystal Palace was thrown into doubt in the closing stages of the transfer window amid reports that he had not been training with the rest of the squad.
Sage has since insisted that the player is suffering from a groin injury, but has also confessed he was disappointed to miss out on a move and will take time to get over it.
Brown told Football Insider on 8 September that Sarr must "grow up" and return to training with Crystal Palace to prove he deserves a place in their squad this season.
The winger was among the Eagles' most important players last season, and finished as the top scorer in the Conference League, but has damaged his reputation among the fans.
Sage admitted that he had hoped to see the forward return earlier this week, but instead he will miss their clash against Ipswich, and could return next Monday instead.