Liverpool’s Search for a New Right-Sided Forward: Barcola vs. Minteh

Liverpool’s search for a new right-sided forward is starting to look like a high-wire act. The ideal target is clear. The path to him is anything but.

Bradley Barcola, outstanding for France at this summer’s World Cup, remains the name circled in red at Anfield. The 23-year-old has forced his way into a star-studded attacking cast, helping a free-scoring France side rack up 16 goals in six games on their way to a semi-final clash with Spain. He is pushing hard to start that tie ahead of club and country teammate Désiré Doué.

When France’s tournament ends, the focus around Barcola will swing back to Paris. Behind the scenes at PSG, the winger is open to a move, with concerns over shrinking minutes under Luis Enrique and fresh competition on the way. The French champions are targeting Yan Diomande and Maghnes Akliouche, a double swoop that could squeeze Barcola’s role even further.

His contract, with just two years left and renewal talks on hold, adds another layer of tension. PSG may eventually have to listen to offers. They will not come cheap.

Barcola would cost in excess of the British transfer record, according to those close to the negotiations, and Liverpool know they are not alone.

Arsenal, the reigning Premier League champions, are strongly in the frame and, at this stage, widely viewed as favourites if PSG open the door.

Daily Mail journalist Lewis Steele underlined that sense over the weekend, explaining that figures around Arsenal believe they are “top of the race” for Barcola. The Gunners are also keen on Morgan Rogers, and there are questions over whether they can realistically fund both deals, but the message from north London is clear: if Barcola moves, they expect to be at the front of the queue.

Liverpool are not out of it. Far from it. But they are realistic enough to know this could become an arms race they do not want to win at any price. With Diomande already having slipped through their fingers earlier in the window, history threatens to repeat itself.

Minteh moves up the list

According to talkSPORT, the club are now giving serious thought to a move for Yankuba Minteh, the Brighton winger who has been tracked by Fenway Sports Group for some time. His name first surfaced on Liverpool’s radar back in June 2024, and by the end of that month he was one of six wide options under consideration.

Now the discussions are sharpening. Liverpool are understood to be plotting a firm approach for the 21-year-old, a player described by those who have followed him closely as “lightning quick” and “extremely dangerous”.

Brighton, though, are Brighton. They sell, but on their terms. The south-coast club have built a reputation as some of the toughest negotiators in the league, consistently extracting top fees for their best assets. Any deal for Minteh is unlikely to be straightforward, and the expectation is that he would command a figure around £70m.

On the face of it, the numbers from last season do not scream marquee signing. Minteh finished the 2025/26 campaign with just seven goal contributions – three goals and four assists – in 34 appearances. Yet there is a growing belief that those raw figures do not tell the full story of his potential.

Journalist David Lynch, speaking about Liverpool’s winger shortlist – which also includes Matias Fernandez-Pardo and Said El Mala – made it clear where he stands.

“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. For him, it is about fit, not just output. “Minteh is probably a better profile fit, obviously a left footer on the right-hand side, with Premier League experience.”

That profile matters. Liverpool are looking for a left-footed right winger who can both stretch the pitch and attack central areas, a player who can grow into the role long-term with Mohamed Salah’s future under constant scrutiny. In that context, Minteh ticks a lot of boxes.

Unlocking Minteh at Anfield

Lynch also argued that Brighton’s tactical approach has limited Minteh’s numbers.

“He didn’t have a great season last season in terms of output,” he admitted, before pointing to the way Brighton deploy him. The Gambia international is often pinned wide, tasked with hugging the touchline rather than drifting into the penalty area to finish chances.

Liverpool believe that can change. Under new manager Andoni Iraola, whose high-energy, front-foot style demands aggressive runners and relentless pressing, Minteh’s game could be reshaped.

“I think the way Brighton play may hamstring him a little bit,” Lynch said. “He’s very much pushed out quite wide rather than getting into goal-scoring central positions. 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.”

That last point will not be lost on Liverpool’s recruitment team. Work rate, pressing intelligence, and defensive contribution from the front are non-negotiables at Anfield. Minteh’s engine and discipline off the ball make him an attractive project, not just a raw sprinter.

Still, for Lynch, and for many inside the club, the hierarchy of targets is clear.

“I think it’s tough pickings really,” he said, assessing the alternatives after Diomande slipped away. “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.”

Salah questions and a crowded summer

All of this plays out against a broader backdrop of uncertainty in Liverpool’s forward line. A surprise new suitor has emerged in the race to sign club legend Salah, with a move to Saudi Arabia or Major League Soccer now seen as the most likely escape routes if he does depart this summer.

At the same time, Liverpool are wrestling with complications in a separate pursuit, a £34m-rated Mexico sensation, with claims that contact has already been made over a deal. The club’s recruitment department, led by Richard Hughes, is juggling multiple fronts at once.

Barcola remains the dream: World Cup star, ready-made, and with the pedigree to walk straight into a title-chasing side. Minteh is the emerging reality: younger, less polished, but with the pace, profile, and work ethic to be moulded into something special.

The question now is not whether Liverpool will act, but how bold they are prepared to be in reshaping the attack for a new era.