Yankuba Minteh's Desire for Liverpool Move Intensifies

Yankuba Minteh has told both his camp and Brighton he wants Anfield.

Liverpool have already seen two bids knocked back for the winger, but the 22-year-old Gambian has made his preference clear: he wants the move this summer, and Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler is braced to lose him.

Liverpool turn the screw on Brighton

Liverpool’s recruitment team are reshaping Andoni Iraola’s forward line with real intent. Talks with Paris Saint-Germain over Bradley Barcola are progressing, Victor Munoz is already through the door, and Minteh has been lined up as a third wide addition.

He is not a new name on their list. Liverpool have tracked Minteh for a long time, and on July 8 transfer correspondent Fraser Fletcher revealed the club were preparing a major offer. That first bid, worth £50m, was rejected. A second proposal of £60m (€70m, $82m) has now also been turned down.

The gap is shrinking, though.

Brighton are understood to value Minteh at around £70m. According to the Daily Mail’s Lewis Steele, writing on X, there is a deal to be done at roughly £66m. If that figure holds, Liverpool are just £6m away from an agreement.

For Brighton, that would mean almost doubling the £33m they paid Newcastle two summers ago for a player who has scored 10 goals in 73 appearances. It fits their model perfectly: buy smart, develop, sell high, repeat.

And the next part of that cycle is already in motion.

Brighton prepare for life after Minteh

Brighton have moved early to protect themselves. Nigerian winger Zadok Yohanna has arrived from AIK in a £21.5m deal, a clear sign the club are planning for a future without Minteh.

Hurzeler has not fought the tide. If anything, he has acknowledged it.

Speaking on Friday, the Brighton head coach laid out the reality of life at a club built on trading talent.

“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.

“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.”

The message is unmistakable: Brighton will not stand still, even if one of their brightest attackers departs.

Liverpool’s winger plan comes into focus

On Merseyside, there is growing confidence that Minteh will be part of Iraola’s attack by the end of the window. The player’s desire to move, Brighton’s willingness to trade at the right price and the club’s history of closing big deals all point in the same direction.

Minteh’s push for a switch to Liverpool is expected to carry significant weight. It aligns neatly with Brighton’s philosophy and their readiness to cash in at the top of the market.

Liverpool’s pursuit of Minteh also signals a shift elsewhere. The club had been in discussions with PSG not only over Barcola but also over teenage prospect Ibrahim Mbaye. With Minteh now the clear priority, that track appears to have cooled.

One journalist even admitted he “daren’t say” what he believes Mbaye would cost, a hint at the scale of the fee PSG might demand for the Senegalese youngster.

So the picture is sharp now. Liverpool are closing in on a third winger, Brighton have already signed his successor, and Minteh has nailed his colours to the mast.

The only question left is whether Liverpool are willing to stretch that final £6m to finish the job.