Liverpool Intensify Pursuit of Yankuba Minteh

Yankuba Minteh has told both his representatives and Brighton he wants Anfield.

Liverpool have already seen two bids turned down for the Gambian winger, but the message from the player is clear: he wants the move, and he wants it this summer.

Liverpool turn the screw in Minteh chase

The Reds are reshaping Andoni Iraola’s forward line and they are doing it with flair in mind. Talks with Paris Saint-Germain over Bradley Barcola are well advanced, Victor Munoz is already through the door, and now Liverpool are pushing hard for a third wide option in Minteh.

Minteh has been on their radar for some time. On July 8, transfer reporter Fraser Fletcher revealed Liverpool were preparing a big-money offer for the Brighton livewire. That interest has now escalated into concrete bids.

An opening offer of £50m was rejected. A second, worth £60m (€70m, $82m), has also been knocked back. Brighton are holding firm, but the gap is narrowing.

Reports across England suggest the Seagulls want around £70m. According to the Daily Mail’s Lewis Steele, posting on X, there is a deal to be struck at roughly £66m. If that figure is accurate, Liverpool are only £6m away from the number that could unlock the transfer.

For Brighton, that would represent a clean piece of business. They paid £33m to sign Minteh from Newcastle two summers ago. Doubling their money on a player who has scored 10 goals in 73 appearances fits perfectly with the club’s well-honed trading model.

Brighton prepare for life after Minteh

The signs from the south coast point in one direction: Brighton are getting ready to move on.

They have already signed Nigerian winger Zadok Yohanna from AIK in a £21.5m deal, a move that looks very much like succession planning. Behind the scenes, the club has stuck to its familiar formula – buy talent at a price, develop it, sell at a premium, then repeat.

Head coach Fabian Hurzeler has not fought the tide. Speaking on Friday, he acknowledged the reality of Brighton’s situation and the interest in his players.

“It’s normal if you’re successful as a team, if the team is doing well, has some good achievements, then the individual can shine, and of course, there will be a big ask for our players,” he said.

“That’s part of our identity, part of my job here.

“It was clear to everyone that this might happen during a busy transfer window.

“We can go through now every individual player; we all know how important these kinds of players are for me.

“But we also know that good achievements, big achievements, especially in the Premier League, you create offers, you create a lot of attention.

“So we have to wait now; the situation will evolve.

“I’m not here to complain, I’m here to find solutions, and I’m convinced that, together with my players, we will find good solutions.”

Those are not the words of a manager expecting to slam the door shut. They sound like a coach braced for departures and already working on the next phase.

Minteh’s own desire to swap the south coast for Merseyside only strengthens that feeling. When a player pushes for a move and the offer edges towards the club’s valuation, Brighton’s model usually points one way.

Liverpool’s winger plan takes shape

Liverpool’s aggressive pursuit of Minteh also hints at a change of direction elsewhere.

The club had been exploring a move for PSG teenager Ibrahim Mbaye, discussed internally alongside Barcola. The push for Minteh suggests that particular path is being left behind, at least for now. One journalist even admitted he “daren’t say” what Mbaye might cost, a line that underlines how expensive that route could become.

So Liverpool press on with Minteh. Brighton have their replacement. The fee is edging towards the tipping point. The player wants the move.

Now it comes down to one question: who blinks first in the final stretch of negotiations?