Tottenham have joined Nottingham Forest in the race to sign Watford forward Ismaila Sarr, according to London World. However, any Premier League club that holds an interest could be left disappointed.
The Hornets aren’t planning on selling their £40,000-a-week trickster. They’re currently in contention to challenge Burnley and Sheffield United for an automatic promotion place and want to keep their best players.
Sarr is a wanted man. He headed to the World Cup with Senegal at the back end of last year and was an integral part of the team that reached the last 16 before losing to England.
Now, The Athletic has some bad news for any club wanting to sign him. It’s claimed that the Hornets are completely focused on strengthening their squad and don’t want Sarr to leave.
There could yet be hope for Forest and Tottenham. Sarr has just 18 months remaining on his existing contract and recouping anything like the £28.5 million they paid Rennes for him looks unlikely.
Sarr, 24, has been at Watford since 2019. He’s made 114 appearances for the Hertfordshire-based club, scoring 31 goals and registering 22 assists across time playing in the Premier League and Championship.
Tottenham have joined Forest in Sarr race
It’s only natural that Watford want to keep their star man. Tottenham are still in the Champions League, however, and their interest is perhaps going to be the most intriguing.
It was claimed that Forest had something up their sleeve for Sarr. With Emmanuel Dennis out of favour, it had been suggested that the Reds might look to offer him with some cash in order to land Sarr.
That doesn’t look to be on the agenda anymore. Dennis could still be an option for Watford though, with the 25-year-old only able to move to Vicarage Road if he’s got a desire to stay in England.
It’s a bit of a blow for Forest, although not entirely surprising. The Reds will monitor Watford’s season with intrigue and if they don’t get promotion – and Forest stay up – the Reds could swoop in the summer.