Liverpool have made Yankuba Minteh a priority target this summer as they look to rebuild their wide options.
The Reds have already seen two bids rejected by Brighton, with an initial £50 million offer turned down before an improved £60 million proposal met the same fate.
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Brighton are reportedly holding out for a fee closer to £70 million for the 22-year-old winger. Despite the gap in valuation, personal terms between Minteh and Liverpool are understood to be broadly agreed, with the player keen on the move to Anfield.
Minteh and Bradley Barcola are Liverpool’s top priorities as the transfer window enters its final week.
Talks between the two Premier League clubs are ongoing, and Liverpool are reported to be preparing a third bid in an attempt to close the deal before deadline day.
The Gambia international would add competition on the right flank following Mohamed Salah’s departure from the club. Minteh is left-footed but operates from the right, a profile Liverpool see as similar to Salah’s.
According to Sky Sports Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, Minteh is expected to need another two to three months before he is fully match-fit.
That timeline stems from a right leg injury he suffered during Brighton’s pre-season friendly against Roma, when he was caught in a challenge with Roma captain Bryan Cristante.
Minteh required surgery on the injury. Brighton have not signed a direct replacement for him, and he was already absent for the club’s Premier League opener against Aston Villa.
The recovery period places his return closer to October or November. That means any transfer to Liverpool this summer would bring in a player unable to feature for several weeks, or longer, after signing.
Liverpool’s willingness to press ahead with negotiations despite the injury points to a long-term view of the deal.
The club are not treating Minteh as an immediate alternative to Salah, but as an addition alongside their pursuit of Barcola.
Yankuba Minteh joined Brighton from Newcastle in 2024 after a loan spell at Feyenoord under current Liverpool head coach Arne Slot. He has scored 10 goals and provided nine assists in 73 appearances for Brighton since then.
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🚨⏳ Negotiations between Liverpool and Brighton for Yankuba Minteh are still ongoing.
Understand the 22 y/o winger is expected to need another 2-3 months to be fully match-fit after his injury. That’s the current prognosis.#LFC still really want him, as the left-footed winger… pic.twitter.com/KY5P2Bevvi
— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) August 25, 2026