Liverpool Pursues Yankuba Minteh as Brighton Rejects Bid
Liverpool’s chase for Yankuba Minteh has moved into serious territory – but Brighton are still standing firm.
The Reds have reached a broad verbal agreement with the winger over personal terms, with Fabrizio Romano reporting that Minteh has said yes to the Liverpool project. The player is on board. The club that owns him is not. Not yet.
Liverpool saw an opening £50million offer knocked back by Brighton. They returned with a second bid worth £60m, only for that to be rejected as well. Gambian journalist Foday Manneh first revealed that the improved offer had been turned down, adding that both clubs remain hopeful of finding common ground and are continuing talks.
So Liverpool know where they stand. Minteh wants the move. Brighton want more money.
From background target to front-burner deal
Interest from Liverpool in Minteh surfaced earlier in the summer, then cooled as the club focused on other wide options. Bradley Barcola has been the headline name on their list, with Ibrahim Mbaye also monitored.
Minteh, though, has surged back into view in recent days. Once Brighton made it clear they were prepared to negotiate, Liverpool stepped up with that £50m bid. Rejection only sharpened their intent.
The second offer, at £60m, looked like it might be the tipping point. Ben Jacobs had suggested that figure would be “very difficult” for Brighton to turn down, as Liverpool worked with head coach Andoni Iraola to judge whether a renewed push for Minteh was worth it.
Brighton’s answer has been emphatic. Difficult, yes. Impossible, no.
Barcola still the No.1, Minteh the live alternative
Jacobs has also underlined the hierarchy of Liverpool’s attacking targets. Barcola remains the preferred signing, the “must-get” if the club can prise him away. Minteh is not simply a consolation prize, but part of a cluster of alternatives the club have explored and even bid for.
“Yankuba Minteh has been a target for some time,” Jacobs said, while stressing that Liverpool do not view Minteh and Barcola as a simple one-two ranking, flipped depending on price. Barcola is the primary aim. Behind him sits Minteh among “three or four” options Liverpool have actively moved on.
Yet the way this saga is unfolding suggests Liverpool are prepared to test Brighton’s resolve again. Talks are ongoing, and a third bid is expected. The size of that offer is unclear, but one thing is obvious: the pursuit will not be cheap.
If Liverpool thought Minteh would be an easier deal to close than Barcola, Brighton have already disabused them of that idea. Now the question is simple – how hard, and how high, are Liverpool willing to go?
