Liverpool face transfer disaster as Minteh deal ‘goes cold’

26 Aug 2026 07:51 BST | 4 min read

Robin Bairner | Chief Editor

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Liverpool’s hopes of signing Yankuba Minteh from Brighton appear to hang in the balance as they struggle to agree a transfer fee with their Premier League rivals.

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Andoni Iraola’s side, who laboured to a 2-2 draw against Newcastle on the opening weekend of the season, find themselves in the market for a winger in the closing days of the transfer window, and have Minteh on a shortlist along with PSG duo Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye.

The Reds have struggled to broker a deal for the Champions League winners, but having moved on to the Brighton star are finding a deal equally difficult to make – and it could see the move break down.

Current ETV

Yankuba Minteh

F (R), M (RL)

Brighton

Yankuba Minteh

F (R), M (RL)

Brighton

ETV Range

€44.7M - €54.6M

Minteh to Liverpool breaks down

Brighton have set a strong message to the Anfield club that Minteh will not leave for anything less than €93.5 million (£80m), but according to TalkSport’s transfer insider Alex Crook, the highest bid that has gone in from Liverpool does not come close to this figure.

“Brighton asking for £80m for Yankuba Minteh. Liverpool have had to bid worth up to £60m rejected and not willing to go much higher,” he reports on X.

Similarly, Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that the Reds’ attention is falling increasingly on Barcola.

He tweeted: “Negotiations for Yankuba Minteh to Liverpool are not developing and have gone cold in the last 24 hours. Liverpool exploring different options for the second winger; first priority remains always Bradley Barcola.”

Liverpool making slow progress on Barcola

Barcola does appear likely to sign for Liverpool before the transfer deadline, with the PSG and France star having yet to feature this season for the double Champions League winners.

Initially, the European champions had set an asking price of €170m for the winger, but they are now prepared to drop this demand to something like €150m.

There has been “minor progress" in talks between the clubs, L’Equipe reports, with Liverpool having had a €115m bid rejected by PSG. However, the expectation is that the deal will be brokered in the final days of the window.

“It's like this every year. I remind you what happened last year with Gigio Donnarumma, the deal was really late. This transfer window isn't over at all; it's open. Even on the arrivals side, if we find a good opportunity, we'll take it,” PSG sporting director Luis Campos said.

Salah replacement still required

Liverpool’s need for a player to replace Mohamed Salah, who left as a free agent in the summer, was made acutely apparent against Newcastle last weekend.

Rio Ngumoha looked uncomfortable on the right wing, and even if Barcola arrives, he has made his name playing off the left.

Minteh could fill that void, though. Brighton’s asking price, however, is big. The 22-year-old’s Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) sits at €49.7m, with his peak value having previously hit €59m. This is well below his €93.5m tag.

But the bigger issue could be his lack of match fitness. Florian Plettenberg reports it could be two or three months before the winger is fully fit, which would only give Iraola a new headache.