Liverpool have £50 million "bid rejected" for dream Mohamed Salah replacement

Liverpool have had a £50 million bid for Brighton Hove Albion winger Yankuba Minteh rejected, despite the player being keen on the transfer.

Liverpool are clearly still very active in the transfer market when it comes to wide attackers. The Reds are still reportedly targeting a double deal for Paris Saint-Germain duo Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye, with the European champions holding out for in excess of £150 million. However, Andoni Iraola may need even more firepower, especially if Cody Gakpo is sold to Tottenham.

So, have the Reds identified their dream right winger target to fill the rather large Mohamed Salah-shaped void on the right flank?

Well, as reported by David Ornstein, James Pearce and Andy Naylor of the Athletic, Liverpool have had a £50 million bid "rejected" by Brighton & Hove Albion for Yankuba Minteh.

They assert that the Gambian international is "keen on the potential move" to Merseyside, while he is one of "several wingers" that Liverpool are tracking. What could complicate any potential deal is the fact that Minteh is currently injured. The 22 year old was forced off during the Seagulls' recent pre-season friendly against AS Roma, meaning he is set to be sidelined for at least two months.

Despite this, it would seem as though Liverpool are still eager to get this deal over the line.

What Yankuba Minteh would bring to Liverpool

Fair to say, Minteh has had an unusual route to stardom. He left Gambia at the age of 18 to sign for Danish club Odense BK and, following just 17 Superligaen appearances, was picked up by Newcastle, who had high hopes for him.

During a loan spell at Feyenoord, he showcased this talent, scoring ten times in the Eredivisie, as well as bagging a first career Champions League goal at Celtic Park. However, Minteh would never make an appearance for Newcastle, sold to Brighton for £30 million in 2024 as the Magpies desperately sought to comply with Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules.

Well, this has proved to be a bargain from the Seagulls, with the Gambian international netting ten times for the Albion across two seasons by the South Coast, catching the eye of onlookers, albeit slightly less frequently than he may hope.

Minteh is an explosive left-footed right winger whose signature move is to cut inside and score. Does that sound familiar? At just 22 years old, having started only 46 Premier League games, he is far from the finished product, but stylistically appears to be exactly the player Liverpool need. If the Reds are able to land him for anything close to £50 million, that could be a masterstroke in the long term.

Having said all of that, fans should not be getting overly excited just yet. While veterans James Milner and Adam Lallana have swapped Anfield for the Amex, there is not much of an established pipeline going in the opposite direction. The Reds did sign Alexis Mac Allister for £35 million two summers ago, but that was a case of paying his release clause, so are yet to prove they can negotiate successfully with the Seagulls.

Three summers ago, Liverpool were favourites to land Moisés Caicedo, submitted a club-record bid, but the Ecuadorian instead joined Chelsea, who gazumped them with an £115 million offer. This saw the Reds turn their attention to Roméo Lavia, who instead also joined Chelsea for £58 million. Considering the Belgian's horrendous injury record, perhaps they dodged a bullet.

Nevertheless, Liverpool can ill-afford a repeat when it comes to wide-attackers this summer. With less than a fortnight to go until the window slams shut, Richard Hughes and his team appear to be chasing Barcola, Mbaye and now Minteh, as well as other targets we know less about. Thus, fans fear that they won't land any of these potential recruits, thereby leaving Iraola very short in attack.

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