Yankuba Minteh's Deadline Day Move to Liverpool Hangs by a Thread

Yankuba Minteh’s camp are refusing to give up on a dramatic deadline day switch to Liverpool – but the deal is hanging by a thread.

The Brighton winger has been on the Reds’ radar throughout August, with Liverpool testing the Seagulls’ resolve twice. A second bid of £60m was knocked back, and Brighton have held firm at an £80m valuation for the 22-year-old Gambia international.

Liverpool, though, have moved in a different direction.

Agents still pushing – but the door is almost shut

Transfer reporter Ben Jacobs revealed on Tuesday morning that Minteh’s representatives are still working behind the scenes for a move to Anfield before the 11pm cut-off, clinging to the possibility of a late breakthrough.

“Cody Gakpo is staying at Liverpool but, Yankuba Minteh's representatives are still seeking a move to Liverpool, and they hope that it happens today,” Jacobs told talkSPORT, as relayed by GIVEMESPORT.

That hope comes with a major caveat. With Gakpo now set to remain at Anfield, the logic – and the numbers – behind a Minteh move start to unravel.

Gakpo decision changes the picture

Liverpool have already turned down an £80m offer from Manchester City for Gakpo in the past 24 hours, according to The Athletic. That figure mirrors the fee Brighton want for Minteh.

In pure market terms, one deal would have paid for the other. Sell Gakpo, buy Minteh. A straight swap of assets, if not of profiles.

But that scenario has effectively been shut down. Gakpo has started the season sharply, with a goal and an assist from his first two games, while Minteh is sidelined with an injury expected to keep him out for the foreseeable future. Trading a fit, in-form forward for an injured one at the same price bracket would be a hard sell inside any top club, never mind one trying to challenge on multiple fronts.

The calculation is simple: it makes no football sense to move out Gakpo to accommodate Minteh.

Too many wingers, not enough minutes

There’s also the matter of numbers. Liverpool have already looked at other right-sided options, including Ismaila Sarr of Crystal Palace, but the wider attacking puzzle has shifted.

With Gakpo staying and Bradley Barcola completing his move from Paris Saint-Germain, the urgency to bring in another winger has eased considerably.

If Minteh did arrive without any departures among the current forwards, Andoni Iraola would be left with six senior wingers competing for two starting spots. From a manager’s perspective, that’s a dream for rotation and depth. From a dressing-room perspective, it is a headache waiting to happen.

Keeping that many high-level attackers content with their minutes is a delicate balancing act. On deadline day, clubs rarely choose to add complexity for the sake of it.

Reality bites for Minteh’s camp

Minteh’s representatives are expected to keep pushing in the final hours, hoping for one of those wild late twists that define deadline day folklore. A sudden bid, a shock exit, an unexpected green light.

Right now, though, the landscape is clear. Liverpool have rejected huge money for Gakpo, remain stacked in wide areas, and would need to match Brighton’s £80m stance for an injured player.

Unless something dramatic breaks late, the most likely outcome is the least glamorous one: Yankuba Minteh stays at Brighton, and Liverpool go into the rest of 2026 with what they already have.