Yankuba Minteh Pursues Liverpool Move as Brighton Holds Out for £70m

Yankuba Minteh has told both his agents and Brighton he wants Liverpool – and only Liverpool – as the Anfield club edge closer to meeting the Seagulls’ price for the winger.

Liverpool have already had two sizeable bids knocked back, the latest a £60m offer after an opening £50m proposal was rejected. Brighton are holding out for around £70m, but the gap is narrowing. Reports suggest a deal could be struck at roughly £66m, leaving Liverpool just £6m short of the figure that would likely unlock negotiations.

For a player Brighton signed from Newcastle for £33m two summers ago, it would represent a clean doubling of their money on a forward who has scored 10 goals in 73 appearances. Classic Brighton business.

Liverpool’s wide rebuild gathers pace

This is not a one-off move. Liverpool are reshaping their attack out wide.

Andoni Iraola wants more spark and unpredictability in his forward line, and the club are already deep in talks with Paris Saint-Germain over Bradley Barcola. Victor Munoz has already arrived as one new winger. Minteh would be the third wide signing of the summer, and arguably the most explosive.

The 22-year-old Gambian has been on Liverpool’s radar for some time. Transfer correspondent Fraser Fletcher revealed back on July 8 that Liverpool were preparing a big-money push for him. That push has now turned into a full-on pursuit, with the player’s own stance adding serious weight.

Minteh has made it clear he wants to leave the south coast for Merseyside. That desire, combined with Brighton’s well-known trading model, is driving this towards a conclusion.

Hurzeler ready for life after Minteh

Brighton, for their part, look like a club already braced for the departure.

They have signed Nigerian winger Zadok Yohanna from AIK in a £21.5m deal this summer, a move that effectively future-proofs the position. It is no coincidence. Brighton buy, develop, sell for profit, and repeat. Minteh fits that pattern perfectly.

Head coach Fabian Hurzeler did little to hide his acceptance of the situation when he spoke on Friday.

“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 are the words of a coach already thinking about the next phase.

Liverpool shift targets as price tags soar

Liverpool’s aggressive move for Minteh also signals a change of direction elsewhere.

The club had been in discussions with PSG not only over Barcola but also regarding teenage prospect Ibrahim Mbaye. The interest in Minteh suggests that particular avenue has cooled, with at least one journalist admitting he “daren’t say” what he believes the highly rated Senegalese youngster would cost.

Liverpool, then, look set to invest heavily in a winger who wants the move, fits their age profile, and is already proven in the Premier League. Brighton, true to type, stand ready to cash in once their valuation is hit.

The only real question now is simple: who blinks first over those final few million?