Liverpool Transfer Latest: Yankuba Minteh Back in the Frame as Reds Weigh Deadline Move
Liverpool’s search for a right-sided winger has taken another turn, with Yankuba Minteh firmly back in the conversation as the summer window edges towards its closing stages. Credit for the latest development goes to Foday Manneh, who reported that Liverpool’s interest in the Brighton wide man is not over and that internal discussions have taken place again in the last 24 hours.
The key line remains unchanged and significant: “Liverpool’s pursuit of Yankuba Minteh is not totally dead in the water.” That points to a situation where Liverpool have continued to assess the market, only to find that preferred alternatives are proving difficult to execute. In those circumstances, players who had drifted slightly from the front of the queue can quickly re-emerge.
𝐄𝐗𝐂𝐋: 𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 🚨
🇬🇲 Yankuba Minteh to Liverpool FC; the interest and pursuit is 𝐍𝐎𝐓 fully off. #LFC have discussed Minteh internally in the past 24 hours after finding it difficult to have other suitable options.
🗣 The head coach, Andoni Iraola has also… pic.twitter.com/KBMCJ0Wlm9
Yankuba Minteh Returns to Liverpool Thinking
There is logic to that. Minteh is admired, he fits the profile Liverpool want in a wide forward and, crucially, he appears attainable under the right conditions. The complication is Brighton’s valuation. As things stand, any move looks heavily dependent on whether that asking price softens before deadline day pressure intensifies.
That dynamic matters because Liverpool are not working in isolation on one name. Ismaila Sarr has also been viewed as a possible solution, yet Crystal Palace’s stance appears firm after another significant departure this summer. That makes negotiations difficult, particularly when any selling club must first secure its own replacement in a crowded and expensive market.
Liverpool Transfer Options Narrow Before Deadline
From Liverpool’s side, this now feels like a familiar late-window squeeze. A shortlist may contain several names, but when reporting repeatedly circles around Minteh, Sarr and Ibrahim Mbaye, it usually indicates where the live discussions and genuine opportunities sit. That does not mean the club lacks contingency plans, but it does suggest the practical choices are narrowing.
Financially, none of the options look straightforward. Mbaye is thought to be available for around £60m, Minteh at roughly £80m, while Sarr would likely require more than £60m to test Palace’s resolve. In that context, Liverpool face a decision that many elite clubs eventually confront near a deadline, whether to hold their line on value or pay a premium to address an obvious squad need.
Deadline Pressure Could Shape Minteh Decision
There is still room for movement. Brighton may yet adjust their position, Palace may yet find a replacement, and Liverpool may yet push harder elsewhere. For now, however, Minteh’s return to the picture looks less like recycled speculation and more like a consequence of a market that has become increasingly restrictive.
If Liverpool want certainty before 1 September, they may soon have to accept that the cleanest deal on paper is rarely the cheapest one in practice. Minteh remains in play, and with time running short, that alone makes this a situation worth watching closely.
Our View
Speaking as a Liverpool supporter, this report feels believable precisely because it sounds like a club running out of easy solutions. That is the part that worries me most. If Minteh has re-entered the thinking because other deals are proving difficult, then Liverpool are already being pushed by the market rather than controlling it.
Minteh is clearly talented and there is plenty to like about his pace, directness and upside, but £80m is a huge number if that is the level being discussed. Sarr would also cost serious money, and Mbaye carries his own risk at around £60m. None of this feels comfortable so late in the window.
The bigger issue is squad planning. Liverpool have needed clarity on the right-sided winger position for a while, and leaving it to deadline pressure always creates the danger of paying over the odds. Supporters can accept that sometimes you must spend big for the right profile, but it is much harder to accept if the fee climbs because the club has been cornered.
At this stage, most fans will probably say the same thing, make a decisive move and get the right player in. If the staff truly believe Minteh is the best fit for Andoni Iraola, then go and do it. What cannot happen is Liverpool drifting through the final days, missing one target after another and ending the window short in a key attacking role.
