Liverpool Targets Yankuba Minteh in £66m Deal
Yankuba Minteh has made his move.
The Brighton winger has told both his representatives and the club that he wants Anfield next, with Liverpool edging closer to a deal despite seeing a second hefty bid knocked back.
Liverpool push again for Minteh
Liverpool have already had offers of £50m and £60m rejected for the 22-year-old, who has been on their radar for some time. Transfer specialist Fraser Fletcher revealed back on July 8 that the Reds were preparing a big-money move, and they have now followed through.
They are not swinging in the dark. Brighton’s valuation is widely reported to sit around £70m, but Daily Mail journalist Lewis Steele has claimed on X that a compromise figure of about £66m could get it done. That would leave Liverpool just £6m short of the number Brighton are thought to accept.
For the Seagulls, it would be another classic piece of business. They paid £33m to sign Minteh from Newcastle two summers ago; a £66m sale would double their money on a player who has scored 10 goals in 73 appearances for the club.
Liverpool, meanwhile, are reshaping their attack under Andoni Iraola. Talks with Paris Saint-Germain over Bradley Barcola are already advanced, Victor Munoz has arrived, and Minteh is lined up as a potential third new winger in one window. The message is clear: more pace, more chaos, more threat out wide.
Brighton brace for departure
On the south coast, there is no great pretence about what is coming. Brighton have already moved for a replacement, signing Nigerian prospect Zadok Yohanna from AIK in a £21.5m deal earlier this summer. The succession plan is in place.
Fabian Hurzeler has effectively made his peace with losing Minteh. Speaking on Friday, the Brighton boss laid out the club’s reality.
“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.”
This is Brighton’s model in sharp focus: buy smart, develop, sell high, repeat. Minteh’s desire to move to Merseyside only accelerates the cycle.
Knock-on effect for Liverpool’s wider plans
Liverpool’s aggressive pursuit of Minteh is not happening in isolation. Their push for the Gambia international strongly hints that a move for PSG teenager Ibrahim Mbaye has been parked, at least for now. The youngster had been discussed internally alongside Barcola, but the club appear to have prioritised more immediate, first-team-ready firepower.
One journalist even admitted he “daren’t say” what Mbaye might cost, a line that underlines just how steep the fee for the Senegalese prospect could be.
So Liverpool keep pressing on two fronts: Barcola from Paris, Minteh from Brighton. One deal is already deep in negotiation, the other now just a few million pounds away from the kind of figure Brighton tend to shake hands on.
Minteh has made his stance clear. Brighton have lined up Yohanna and a familiar profit. The numbers are narrowing. How long before Liverpool finally get their winger?
