Liverpool's Pursuit of Yankuba Minteh: A Late-Window Scramble

Liverpool’s search for a right-sided attacker is turning into a late-window scramble, and all eyes have suddenly swung towards Yankuba Minteh.

With roughly a week left to shape their squad, the clock is hammering away at Anfield. Curtis Jones has departed, opening up a gap in midfield, and the club still haven’t found anyone to step into Mohamed Salah’s old territory on the right. The wide areas remain a problem, the goals from the flank still not properly replaced.

Amid that uncertainty, Minteh has emerged as the leading candidate. The Brighton winger is in demand, and Liverpool have already tested the water twice. Both bids have been turned away. According to the Athletic, the second offer reached £60m, only for Brighton to hold firm. Any agreement now would likely require Liverpool to go even higher, edging into territory that feels like a premium on a player who is far from the finished article.

Yet the story hasn’t cooled. If anything, it has accelerated. Minteh’s agent, Bakary Bojang, has posted an image on his Instagram story showing himself preparing to board a plane, a clear hint that face-to-face talks are looming. Late-window negotiations often move at breakneck speed; this one looks no different.

Liverpool, though, have a decision to make. Are they truly convinced Minteh is the man to inherit Salah’s role, or simply the best name left on a shrinking list? The picture is messy. The club initially chased Yan Diomande for that right-sided berth, then switched focus to Ibrahim Mbaye a couple of weeks ago. Now the spotlight has swung again, this time onto Minteh – a winger with a streaky record who is currently sidelined for three months.

It’s a brutal calculation: pay over the odds for an injured, inconsistent prospect, or risk heading into the season without a clear solution on the right. If Liverpool commit, they commit. If Minteh is the choice, he becomes the bet for the next phase of the attack, whether he arrives fully ready or not.

And if they hesitate? The window will not wait. Another pivot, back to Mbaye, on to someone new, or even no signing at all remains possible. With days left and no obvious, clean answer, Liverpool’s attacking rebuild is teetering on a knife-edge.