**In a move that has totally baffled me, Liverpool have reportedly made a £50m bid for Brighton and Hove Albion winger Yankuba Minteh in the last few days, which the south coast rejected.**
It would indicate that Liverpool’s talks for Ibrahim Mbaye are in danger and not likely to yield success.
In a joint report for [The Athletic](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7526871/2026/08/20/yankuba-minteh-liverpool-brighton-transfer/), James Pearce and David Ornstein report that a £50m Liverpool bid for Minteh has been rejected. The Reds have made the offer despite Minteh being in recovery from surgery on a hip injury suffered during pre-season.
The two journalists report: _“Brighton & Hove Albion have rejected a £50million ($68.1m) bid from Liverpool for winger Yankuba Minteh. The 22-year-old is currently recovering from surgery on a right leg injury sustained in a 3-0 friendly win at home to Roma earlier this month._
_“Minteh is expected to be out of action for another eight weeks, but sources with knowledge of the matter say he is keen on the potential move if the clubs can agree a fee._
_“The Gambia international, who is under contract until 2029, is one of several wingers Liverpool are tracking. The Athletic has reported that adding to the wide options available to head coach Andoni Iraola has been a priority, following Mohamed Salah’s departure. They have signed Spain international Victor Munoz.”_
I must be missing something here
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I am not a sporting director, nor a doctor, but I need the logic of signing someone who has just undergone surgery explained to me.
Minteh is a fantastic player, and before Mohamed Salah left, I was quite keen on the idea of him becoming a squad option to cover for the Egyptian, but I don’t understand why Liverpool would spend over £50m on a player they do not yet know will recover well from the surgery on his hip.
I would almost understand it if Minteh was already an elite operator and Liverpool were convinced that a) he would return fit and ready and b) he would be a guaranteed starter.
However, Minteh’s three goals and four assists in 34 Premier League games last season hardly fill me with overflowing confidence.