Liverpool’s pursuit of Yankuba Minteh has hit a wall twice in three days.
A £50m opening bid was turned down by Brighton on Thursday.
UK ONLY
An improved £60m offer went the same way on Friday, with the south-coast club making clear they want something closer to £70m before they’ll do business on the 22-year-old.
The player himself, though, has already made his position obvious.
Speaking to Foday Manneh, Minteh was asked which club he dreams of joining.
His answer left little room for interpretation.
“I don’t have dream club.”
“For me, any team which comes as far as it’s a big club, I will go there,” he said.
“Yeah, because everyone wants to play in a big club.”
“But I think the club which suits me a lot, I would say Liverpool, is a club which is in my head.”
“Because I choose Mane as my model from Africa and he plays in Liverpool and I see what he does there.”
Asked whether he’s aware of Liverpool’s interest, Minteh played it straight.
“Yeah, I saw it but it’s not in my head.”
“Like I told you, transfers when people are talking about it.”
The Sadio Mane connection runs deeper than admiration from a distance.
The pair are in regular contact, though Minteh was clear the Senegalese forward hasn’t been used as a recruitment tool.
“We speak, we speak but he never talked about the transfer.”
“I check on him sometimes.”
“Sometimes he also check on me, call me and check on me what I’m doing.”
On the reception after one of his stronger performances, Minteh said Mane told him to keep going, that he knows what he’s capable of.
Whether that enthusiasm translates into a deal now rests entirely on the two clubs.
Fabrizio Romano reports Liverpool and Minteh have reached a broad verbal agreement on personal terms, with the player having said yes to the project, and there’s growing optimism inside Anfield that a financial middle ground can be found before the window shuts on 1 September.
What complicates the picture is that Minteh isn’t a replacement target.
Liverpool want him alongside Bradley Barcola, not instead of him, and talks with PSG continue despite a £145m valuation the Reds have no appetite for.
Having already brought in Victor Munoz from Osasuna, Andoni Iraola’s side are chasing two more wide attackers in a full rebuild of the frontline.
There’s one obvious catch: Minteh is currently injured and isn’t expected back until October.
Brighton, meanwhile, are simultaneously negotiating Carlos Baleba’s sale to Manchester United, and Fabian Hurzeler admitted in his Friday press conference that selling is part of the club’s identity.
Ten days remain.
Minteh has made his preference clear.
The rest is arithmetic.
𝙎𝙐𝙈𝙈𝙀𝙍 𝙎𝙀𝙍𝙄𝙀𝙎 𝙀𝙋𝙄𝙎𝙊𝘿𝙀 5 📺
“𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐬𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥” says Brighton star.
🇬🇲 Yankuba Minteh speaks to me weeks ago about his dream club and his relationship with former #LFC head coach, Arne Slot, under whom he played at Feyenoord. pic.twitter.com/37jSxbUqUs
— Foday Manneh (@foday_manneh_) August 21, 2026