Liverpool's Winger Hunt: Minteh and Mbaye Transfer Saga

Liverpool’s winger hunt is turning into one of the summer’s most tangled transfer plots – and patience is running thin on all sides.

With Mohamed Salah gone to Trabzonspor and the clock ticking towards the deadline, Liverpool have thrown their energy into rebuilding the flanks. Victor Munoz has already arrived from Osasuna. Now the chase for Yankuba Minteh and the stand-off over Ibrahim Mbaye are defining the final stretch of their window.

Liverpool push hard for Minteh

The Minteh deal has become the immediate flashpoint. Gambian winger, huge upside, big fee. Liverpool have already seen two bids knocked back by Brighton.

Gambian journalist Foday Manneh revealed on Friday that Brighton rejected a second offer after turning down an opening £50m bid, but stressed that both clubs remain optimistic about finding an agreement and are still in active talks.

He reported that Liverpool’s latest proposal was again refused, yet there is no sense of the move being dead. The two clubs are still at the table, trying to close the gap.

Transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano then underlined that point, backing Manneh’s information and adding a crucial detail from Liverpool’s side: Minteh and the club already have what he described as a “broad verbal agreement” on personal terms. The player has, according to Romano, given his approval to the Liverpool project. Brighton’s stance is the remaining obstacle, not the player’s.

Romano stated that Brighton turned down a £60m bid sent on Friday, but confirmed that negotiations are ongoing. Liverpool, clearly, are not walking away.

Mbaye grows restless as talks drag

That relentless pursuit of Minteh has consequences elsewhere. Specifically, for Ibrahim Mbaye.

Liverpool’s interest in the PSG winger has been no secret, yet the deal has moved at a crawl. French outlet L’Equipe, relayed by Get French Football News, reports that the slow pace of negotiations is starting to affect Mbaye’s view of a move to Anfield.

He is not alone. According to the same report, both Mbaye and his PSG teammate Bradley Barcola – also on Liverpool’s radar – feel their transfer sagas have dragged on for too long. Neither winger is expected to travel with Luis Enrique’s squad for PSG’s Ligue 1 opener against Rennes, a clear sign that the situation is unresolved and uncomfortable.

Talks between PSG and Liverpool for Barcola, the France international, are described as progressing, albeit slowly. For Mbaye, the discussions are moving even more sluggishly. And with only ten days left in the summer window, that delay matters.

L’Equipe’s line is blunt: Mbaye could now turn to other clubs if Liverpool do not accelerate. The sense is that his patience has limits, especially with Liverpool hesitating over PSG’s demands.

The €20m gap that could reshape Liverpool’s plans

At the heart of the Mbaye stalemate is money. RMC Sport, cited in the same report, claim Liverpool and PSG remain €20m apart in their valuation of the Senegalese winger.

PSG are said to be holding out for €70m. Liverpool, for now, are only willing to go to €50m.

That gap is significant, and it explains why the Mbaye talks have lagged behind the Minteh push. Liverpool have already shown they are prepared to go high for the Brighton winger, climbing from £50m to a rejected £60m bid. Yet they have stopped short of matching PSG’s price for Mbaye.

So the picture is clear but tense. Minteh has effectively given Liverpool the green light, Brighton are resisting but still engaged, and there is a realistic path to a deal. Mbaye, on the other hand, is watching the days disappear while his prospective move stalls over €20m – and is now, according to reports, ready to look elsewhere.

Liverpool need wingers. The market is moving. The question is whether they close the Minteh deal in time and finally bridge the Mbaye gap, or watch one of Europe’s most intriguing wide options slip away in the final days of the window.