Liverpool have seen a £50million bid rejected by Brighton & Hove Albion for former Newcastle United winger Yankuba Minteh, according to reports. The Gambian international left the Magpies in 2024 during the club's battle with the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).
Minteh's Move to Brighton
Minteh joined the South Coast club for £30m, after a deal between the two clubs was struck at the eleventh-hour as Newcastle looked to avoid a severe punishment by the Premier League. Elliot Anderson also left for Nottingham Forest in the same period.
Newcastle do not have a sell-on clause as part of the deal to Brighton, meaning any future transfer would not benefit the Magpies financially. The Daily Mail reported in 2025 that due to being under significant pressure to balance the books, Newcastle were 'not in a position of strength' to negotiate clauses such as a buyback option.
Liverpool's Interest and Impact on Newcastle
Liverpool's sister website Liverpool ECHO reported that the Anfield club are scouring the market for attacking additions and launched a bid for Minteh. The 22-year-old is reportedly keen on a move to Anfield if a deal can be struck.
However, any deal done between Liverpool and Fabian Hurzeler's side would have no benefit to Newcastle due to the lack of sell-on or percentage of next sale clause included in the deal. This instance has come back to haunt Newcastle already this summer after missing out on sizeable remuneration for Anderson's £116m move from Forest to Manchester City.
Eddie Howe's Criticism of Financial Rules
Eddie Howe, who was Newcastle's head coach at the time of the sale, was critical of how the financial rules were implemented. He said: "I felt really uncomfortable in the summer when we were forced to make sales of two really talented young players in Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh, against our will really for financial reasons."
He added: "One was an academy product we'd invested in since he joined the club as a young lad. You just think, 'why are we doing this? This doesn't feel right'. I understand the rules to a degree. I understand the concept but I think how it is fundamentally working at the moment is not right. The buying and selling of players has always been such a good thing for the game. It brings intrigue and so much to the game, but now it's almost gone against that. Its purpose was to do one thing but in reality it has turned into something totally different."
