Ismaila Sarr: Watford forward's £25m move to Aston Villa collapses
Aston Villa and Watford agreed a transfer fee in excess of £25m with add-ons on Saturday and Sarr was due to have medical on Monday; Cameron Archer or Kortney Hause loans were part of the discussion; Steven Gerrard and Villa's bosses had growing reservations and walked away from deal
Monday 22 August 2022 09:52, UK
Ismaila Sarr's move to Aston Villa has collapsed, with a host of stumbling blocks leading to Aston Villa withdrawing from negotiations.
An agreement was reached with Watford on Saturday for a fee worth more than £25m with add-ons. Sarr was due to undergo a medical in Birmingham on Monday.
But problems emerged when the two sides began to discuss the details of the deal, which included the possibility of Cameron Archer or Kortney Hause joining Watford on loan.
Sky Sports News has been told that Steven Gerrard and Villa's bosses had growing reservations over the deal, and have walked away.
Sarr was not in the Watford squad for Saturday's match at Preston North End, though Watford manager Rob Edwards said he was left out because of injury.
Trending
- Transfer Centre LIVE! 'Man Utd considering move for Chelsea's Chalobah'
- Korda shoots TEN on par 3 as US Women's Open begins! Watch live here
- Arsenal transfers: 'Sesko favours Gunners move in £45m deal'
- Liverpool rumours: 'Slot wants Watkins to replace Nunez'
- England face Pakistan in fourth and final T20 LIVE!
- Clean up or clear out - what's top of Maresca's Chelsea in-tray?
- Ipswich boss McKenna signs new long-term contract
- Next Up: Endrick is no longer a name, he is a reality
- Red Bull to sponsor Leeds' shirts next season after buying minority stake
- Chelsea rumours: Monaco express Broja interest
- Transfer Centre LIVE! | Paper Talk
- Premier League ins and outs | Done deals
- Get Sky Sports | Download the Sky Sports App
The 24-year-old Senegal international has scored 25 goals in 95 appearances since joining Watford from Rennes in 2019, with five of those goals coming in the Premier League last season.
Watford are second in the Sky Bet Championship table but had their attacking options depleted when striker Emmanuel Dennis joined Nottingham Forest last week. The Nigerian scored 10 goals for the Hornets in the top-flight last season but could not help to keep them up.
Follow the summer transfer window with Sky Sports
Who will be on the move this summer when the transfer window closes at 11pm on September 1?
Keep up-to-date with all the latest transfer news and rumours in our dedicated Transfer Centre blog on Sky Sports' digital platforms. You can also catch up with the ins, outs and analysis on Sky Sports News.
The new Premier League season with Sky Sports
- 128 exclusively live Premier League matches.
- First pick of matches for every weekend of the Premier League season.
- The best punditry team in football including Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher, Jamie Redknapp, Graeme Souness, Micah Richards and Roy Keane.
- Kelly Cates and David Jones will present our live coverage across Friday Night Football, Saturday Night Football, Super Sunday and Monday Night Football.
- In-game goals and clips for mobile devices from Sky Sports live matches.
- Extended highlights On Demand and our Premier League channel.
- Sky Sports is your ultimate destination for domestic football with live coverage of the Premier League, EFL, Scottish Premiership and the Women's Super League.
- Find out more about Sky Sports
