Yankuba Minteh of Brighton & Hove Albion (Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)
Yankuba Minteh of Brighton & Hove Albion (Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)
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Liverpool have had a £50m bid for Yankuba Minteh rejected by Brighton & Hove Albion.
The Reds have been scouring the market for wingers this summer and have now tabled an opening offer for the Gambia international after shortlisting him earlier this year.
Minteh is one of several wide forwards who Liverpool have been assessing in detail and after opening exploratory talks for Paris Saint-Germain's Ibrahim Mbaye and his new team-mate Magnhes Akilouche - when he was a Monaco player - the Reds' recruitment team have now turned to the Brighton winger.
It's believed the Seagulls have rebuffed Liverpool's initial approach, however, and are reluctant to sell the 22-year-old, who is currently sidelined with an injury that required surgery during the pre-season period.
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It's been reported that the issue would sideline Minteh for around two to three months but the injury has not dissuaded Liverpool from making an advance with less than a fortnight left of the transfer window.
Liverpool have been in talks with Paris Saint-Germain for a number of weeks over Bradley Barcola, who has privately made it clear he wants to move to the Reds this summer.
However, the Champions League holders are demanding £140m for the France international, despite boosting their own forward options this window by signing Akilouche, Ferran Torres and most recently Mike Godts.
Liverpool identified Minteh as a potential option alongside Matias Fernandez-Pardo of Lille and FC Koln's Said El Mala earlier this summer as they made Yan Diomande, now of Real Madrid, the primary target when he was at RB Leipzig.
The Reds added Spain international Victor Munoz to their ranks when his £34.5m release clause was triggered in June but new head coach Andoni Iraola has made little secret of his desire for more width following the departure of Mohamed Salah, who joined Turkish side Trabzsonpor as a free agent.
Cody Gakpo is also a target for Tottenham Hotspur this window and while the Reds have previously been unwilling to do business with Spurs, any deal for Minteh could pave the way for the Netherlands international to leave for North London.
Speaking about Minteh's injury, which was sustained in a friendly with Roma earlier this month, Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler said: "He will miss for a long period and it's definitely a problem for us because he is a key player but we will find a way to manage this.
"Beside that we don't have many injury concerns, we had some unlucky injuries you can't avoid happening in a contact sport, but overall we were quite smooth for pre-season.
"We seem to be in a good place but now we have to prove it on the pitch. We will see where we are in serious competitions, but overall it's positive so let's go."
Minteh, who moved to Brighton for £30m from Newcastle two years ago, has scored nine goals and created eight assists in 66 Premier League appearances to date.
Andoni Iraola leads Liverpool in his debut campaign at Anfield
Andoni Iraola leads Liverpool in his debut campaign at Anfield((Photo by Andrew J. Clark/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images))