Liverpool has a major gap to fill in attack following Mohamed Salah's departure this summer, reportedly leading the Reds to Brighton's Yanuba Minteh, despite the player facing a spell on the sidelines
Brighton winger Yankuba Minteh
Yankuba Minteh is currently sidelined for eight weeks following an injury sustained in Brighton's pre-season friendly with Roma on August 8
Liverpool reportedly bid $68.1 million to sign Yankuba Minteh from Brighton this summer, despite the Seagulls ace being sidelined for the best part of the next two months.
The Reds have a major gap to fill in attack following Mohamed Salah's departure this summer, with the Egyptian signing for Turkish outfit Trabzonspor after nine years at Anfield, and that led the club to seek out former Newcastle man Minteh, who has impressed on the south coast since his switch from the Magpies.
Liverpool has previously been linked with the Gambian international, but nothing concrete ever materialized, though that now appears to have changed following a recent report claiming that the Reds have submitted a big-money bid for the Brighton ace.
According to The Athletic, Brighton has turned down a $68.1m bid from Liverpool for Minteh, though the 22-year-old is said to be keen on a move to Anfield if the two clubs can reach an agreement.
However, the biggest takeaway from the report is that Liverpool was willing to splash out a large sum on a player who is set to be sidelined for the next eight weeks following surgery on a right leg injury sustained in a 3-0 friendly win at home to Roma earlier this month.
Minteh, who primarily operates on the right wing, is under contract at Brighton until 2029 and has 10 goals and nine assists in 73 games in his two seasons at Falmer Stadium.
Brighton winger Yankuba Minteh
Minteh has undergone surgery on the right leg injury he sustained in Brighton's 3-0 friendly win at home to Roma earlier this month
While his numbers certainly aren't among the best in the league, his performances for the Seagulls over the past 24 months have drawn plenty of attention, leading Liverpool to consider him one of their top attacking targets.
According to The Athletic, adding to the wide options available at Anfield has been a priority for new head coach Andoni Iraola, who has at least seen his attacking ranks bolstered by the addition of Spain international Victor Munoz this summer.
However, while Rio Ngumoha is expected to once again star for Liverpool this coming season, there remain big question marks over the capabilities and long-term futures of Cody Gakpo and Federico Chiesa.
While Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike, who remains out with a long-term injury of his own, are high-grade options in attack, they primarily operate as centre forwards, rather than on either side of a front three.
Yankuba Minteh of Brighton and Hove Albion reacts after being taken off for a concussion substitute during the Premier League match between Everton FC and Brighton & Hove Albion FC
Minteh is said to be open to joining Liverpool this summer if a deal can be reached with Brighton(Image: (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images))
Arguably, the biggest advantage of signing Minteh is that he would need no time to adapt to the Premier League, having already spent the past two seasons as a regular in English football's top flight.
While there are some doubts about his consistency, the former Feyenoord loanee possesses bags of pace and plenty of potential for further improvement, given he is yet to reach his mid-twenties.
With Brighton expected to lose midfielder Carlos Baleba to Manchester United, however, after it emerged that the two sides are close to agreeing a deal, Fabian Hurzeler's side may be reluctant to lose another top star in the final few weeks of the transfer window.