Liverpool's Transfer Saga: Barcola and Minteh

Liverpool’s winger hunt is turning into one of the summer’s sharpest transfer subplots, and Bradley Barcola sits right at the heart of it – at least for now.

The PSG forward has lit up this summer’s World Cup, part of a France front line that has rattled in 16 goals in six games. With a semi-final against Spain looming on Tuesday, he is pushing to start ahead of club and country teammate Desire Doué. His immediate focus is clear. What comes after is anything but.

Barcola: Elite talent, elite complications

Once France’s tournament ends, the noise around Barcola’s future will only grow louder. Sources have already indicated he is open to leaving PSG, frustrated by shrinking minutes under Luis Enrique and wary of the club’s recruitment drive.

PSG are targeting Yan Diomande and Maghnes Akliouche, two more attacking options who would crowd an already star-studded forward line. Their arrival could push Barcola closer to the exit door, particularly with the 23-year-old stalling on talks over a contract that runs out in two years.

Yet this is no bargain opportunity. Far from it. Those close to the situation insist PSG will demand a fee beyond the current British transfer record to let him go. Liverpool know that even if the French champions soften their stance, they will not be alone at the table.

Arsenal are circling. Strongly.

Daily Mail journalist Lewis Steele revealed over the weekend that the Gunners are viewed in some quarters as favourites should Barcola become available.

“Arsenal seem very hot on Morgan Rogers. Can they afford both of him and Bradley Barcola? I’m not sure,” Steele said, before adding that a contact “around Arsenal” believes Mikel Arteta’s side are “top of the race” for the Frenchman. The caveat is obvious: nobody yet knows for certain whether PSG will actually cash in.

Liverpool, then, are forced to play a waiting game. And while they wait, Richard Hughes is doing what smart sporting directors do: working on the next names down the list.

Minteh moves into focus

Yankuba Minteh is no longer just a name on a longlist. According to talkSPORT, Liverpool are now giving serious thought to a concrete move for the Brighton winger, with a firm approach being plotted.

The Gambia international has been on the club’s radar for months. Back in June 2024, he was already flagged as a player of interest to FSG, and by late June he was one of six wide options under active consideration. Now, with Diomande out of reach and Barcola locked behind PSG’s price wall, Minteh has moved into sharper focus.

He is 21, left-footed, and operates off the right – a profile Liverpool have been consciously tracking. Those who have watched him closely talk about “lightning” pace and an “extremely dangerous” threat in transition.

Brighton, though, are Brighton. Open to selling, but only on their terms. They have made a habit of extracting maximum value for their best assets, and there is no suggestion Minteh would be any different. The £70m figure being discussed around alternatives in this market underlines the kind of outlay Liverpool may have to consider.

Journalist David Lynch believes Minteh fits what Liverpool need, even if his numbers last season hardly leap off the page. The winger finished the 2025/26 campaign with seven goal contributions – three goals and four assists – across 34 appearances.

“I have to say the one I lean towards, and he probably had the least impressive season of the three, actually, is probably Minteh,” Lynch said, referencing Minteh, Matias Fernandez-Pardo and Said El Mala. For him, the appeal is structural, not just statistical.

“Minteh is probably a better profile fit, obviously a left footer on the right-hand side, with Premier League experience.”

Lynch argues that Brighton’s style may have blunted the winger’s output, pinning him wide rather than allowing him to attack central, high-value areas.

“He didn’t have a great season last season in terms of output. I think the way Brighton play may hamstring him a little bit. He’s very much pushed out quite wide rather than getting into goal-scoring central positions.”

The belief is that Andoni Iraola’s system at Anfield could flip that equation. Aggressive, vertical, front-foot football, demanding hard running and intensity off the ball – it is a template that might suit Minteh perfectly.

“I think in a kind of Iraola system, I can easily see how his numbers would upscale. He also works incredibly hard off the ball. His defensive numbers are great,” Lynch added.

Barcola still the dream

For all the talk of Minteh and others, the ideal scenario for Liverpool has not changed. Lynch made that clear when discussing alternatives to Diomande.

“I think it’s tough pickings really,” he said. “That’s why I’m really wedded to the idea that you go and get Barcola if you can. But if they had to move down the list, I think he [Minteh] would be quite high up for me.”

That is the crux of Liverpool’s summer: a balancing act between ambition and realism. Barcola is the marquee name, the kind of signing that sends a message across Europe. Minteh is the calculated play, a high-ceiling, system-fit winger whose best years lie ahead and whose value could explode in the right environment.

All of this unfolds against a wider backdrop of uncertainty in Liverpool’s attack. A “shock” new suitor has reportedly joined the race for club legend Mohamed Salah, with a move to Saudi Arabia or Major League Soccer now viewed as the likeliest long-term destination. On another front, complications have arisen in the pursuit of a £34m-rated Mexico sensation, despite claims that contact has already been made.

Hughes and Iraola are trying to refresh a forward line that has carried the club for years while the market moves beneath their feet. The ideal target may be locked behind record-breaking demands. The alternatives are expensive, contested, and far from guaranteed.

Liverpool have made a habit of getting these calls right in the past. This summer, with Salah’s future under the microscope and the next great Anfield winger still to be signed, they cannot afford to get it wrong.