Yankuba Minteh's Transfer: Liverpool Push for Anfield Move

Yankuba Minteh has made his move. Not on the pitch, but off it.

The Brighton winger has told both his representatives and the club that he wants Anfield next. Liverpool, already twice rebuffed, are pushing hard to make it happen before the summer window closes.

Liverpool turn the screw

Liverpool’s recruitment team are reshaping Andoni Iraola’s forward line with a clear brief: more spark, more speed, more chaos out wide.

Talks with Paris Saint-Germain over Bradley Barcola are already advanced, and Victor Munoz is through the door, but the club want a third winger. Minteh is the one they have zeroed in on.

The 22-year-old Gambian has been on Liverpool’s radar for some time. On July 8, transfer reporter Fraser Fletcher revealed the Reds were preparing a big-money offer. That intent has since turned into concrete bids.

The first proposal, worth £50m, was knocked back. A second offer of £60m (€70m, $82m) has met the same response.

Brighton are holding the line. For now.

Brighton’s price – and the gap that’s closing

The Seagulls are understood to be looking for a fee in the region of £70m for Minteh. That figure would more than double the £33m they paid Newcastle just two summers ago, a huge return on a player who has scored 10 goals in 73 appearances for the club.

There is a hint of flexibility, though. According to the Daily Mail’s Lewis Steele, writing on X, a deal could be done at around £66m. If that proves accurate, Liverpool are only £6m short of the number that gets this over the line.

For a club that has already pushed to £60m, that final step feels less like a leap and more like a nudge.

Hurzeler prepares for life after Minteh

Brighton’s stance is firm, but not stubborn. Their model is well known: buy smart, develop, sell high, repeat. Minteh fits that blueprint perfectly.

Crucially, they have already moved for his successor. Nigerian winger Zadok Yohanna has joined from AIK in a £21.5m deal this summer, a signing that offers both cover and a clear signal of what comes next.

Head coach Fabian Hurzeler, speaking on Friday, sounded like a man who understands the cycle.

“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.”

No direct mention of Minteh by name. It didn’t need one. The message was obvious: Brighton know the market, and they know what comes with success.

Player wants Anfield, Liverpool change course

Minteh’s desire to swap the south coast for Merseyside adds a decisive layer. When a player is clear about his next step, clubs tend to find a way, especially inside a structure as ruthlessly efficient as Brighton’s.

Confidence is growing at Liverpool that a deal will eventually be struck for the 20-cap Gambia international. The numbers are close, the player is keen, and Brighton have already lined up Yohanna.

That movement also points to a shift elsewhere in Liverpool’s plans. Their aggressive pursuit of Minteh suggests a move for PSG teenager Ibrahim Mbaye has cooled. Mbaye had been discussed internally alongside Barcola, but attention now appears fixed on targets with clearer price points and more immediate availability.

One journalist has even said he “daren’t say” what he thinks Mbaye would cost. Liverpool, it seems, have decided that Minteh represents the more realistic swing.

So the situation is simple. The gap stands at roughly £6m. The player wants the move. Brighton’s model almost invites it. Liverpool are already at the table.

Now it comes down to who blinks first.