Brighton have rejected a second bid from Liverpool for Yankuba Minteh, with the Seagulls insisting they want £70million for the winger. The Reds are in the market for attacking reinforcements and have identified the Brighton star as a target. They saw an opening offer of £50m turned down and, despite adding £10m onto that fee, those at the Amex have again rejected it.
Minteh sidelined after surgery
Minteh is currently sidelined after undergoing surgery on a right leg injury which means he will miss between two and three months of action. Last term the Brighton winger scored three goals, which did include a goal drought that ran for six months, and provided four assists in 36 games.
Brighton signed Minteh from Newcastle back in 2024 and want to maximise their profits on a player they paid £30m for. The Seagulls are now looking to more than double their money. A £70m fee would make the Gambian the club's second largest sale, behind only Moises Caicedo.
Liverpool's attacking search
The Athletic reports that it is unclear whether those from Liverpool will return with a third bid, despite an obvious desire to bolster their frontline. Brighton are also having to deal with interest in Carlos Baleba with the midfielder the subject of a £65m bid from Manchester United.
Asked about Minteh and Baleba on Friday, Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler said: "We know in general all the players there are rumours about, they are important players for us because they're a big part of the journey the last two years."
"In football, you have to understand, it's normal if you're successful as a team, if the team is doing well, they've had some good achievements, then an individual can shine. Then of course there will be a big ask for our players, that's part of our identity and part of my job here."
"It was clear for everyone this might happen during a busy transfer window. We can go through every individual player, we all know how important these kinds of players are for me, but we also know that good achievements, big achievements, especially in the Premier League, you create offers, you create a lot of attention."
Other targets and transfer outlook
The Reds have seen the legendary Mohamed Salah depart, although his role was reduced as last season went on. In an effort to fill his void they have signed 23-year-old forward Victor Munoz from Osasuna but their main summer target has been PSG's Bradley Barcola.
The major issue has been the Parisian's price tag with the European champions wanting well in excess of £100m before they consider selling up. A potentially cheaper alternative for Liverpool is also at PSG in teenager Ibrahim Mbaye with the Senegalese teenager valued at £59m.
Andoni Iraola has maintained that Liverpool will land some new faces, but accepts that certain moves take time and may drag on until the end of the transfer window.
"We will definitely sign some players," the Spaniard told Sky Sports. "Some deals you have to wait until the end. But the end is the important picture, the one we will have on September 1, because it is true that we are still quite thin."
