Liverpool's Urgent Bid for Sarr and Minteh Before Transfer Deadline
Liverpool are trying to rip up their forward line in the space of 36 frantic hours – and they want Ismaila Sarr and Yankuba Minteh to help do it.
According to journalist El-Hadji Loum, the Anfield hierarchy would love to bring in both wide men before Tuesday night’s transfer deadline. The ambition is clear. The problem, as ever, is the budget.
Barcola in, Gakpo out, and a winger domino effect
Liverpool are on the brink of unveiling Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain as their marquee summer signing. The France international is expected to arrive in time to be registered before the window shuts, but he is not planned to be the final piece.
The club are actively pushing for another winger before the 11pm deadline on Tuesday. That move is directly tied to Cody Gakpo’s future.
Once a new wide player is secured, Liverpool intend to let Gakpo complete an £85m switch to Premier League rivals Manchester City. The Dutchman had previously looked Tottenham-bound, but City’s late intervention changed everything and turned his head towards the Etihad.
That decision has forced Liverpool to accelerate their search for reinforcements out wide.
Sarr preferred as talks intensify
Fabrizio Romano and several other leading reporters say Liverpool are in discussions with Crystal Palace over a late deal for Senegal international Sarr. GIVEMESPORT senior correspondent Ben Jacobs reported on Sunday night that the 28-year-old is actively pushing Palace to sanction the move.
Jacobs also revealed that while Liverpool are keeping talks alive for more than one winger, Sarr is the preferred option at this stage, even with Palace reluctant to lose him so late in the window.
If Liverpool manage to break Palace’s resistance and land Sarr, that still might not be the end of it.
Minteh dream faces £100m reality
Foot Mercato journalist Loum claims Liverpool’s ideal scenario would see Brighton star Yankuba Minteh also arrive at Anfield this summer. That is the vision: Barcola, Sarr and Minteh, all added in one window to rebuild an attack stripped of Mohamed Salah’s goals and aura.
The numbers are brutal, though. Liverpool have already had a £60m bid rejected for Minteh, and Loum suggests signing both Sarr and the Brighton winger would push the overall spend for that pair beyond £100m in the closing hours of the window.
It leaves the club’s recruitment team walking a financial tightrope. Ambition on one side. The balance sheet on the other.
Rewiring a blunt attack
Liverpool’s urgency is rooted in how flat they have looked. After a disappointing 2025-26 campaign, they have opened the new Premier League season with back-to-back draws against Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest.
The cutting edge that once terrified defences has dulled. Without Salah, they do not stretch teams in the same way, they do not scare full-backs in the same way, and they do not create the same chaos in the final third.
Barcola, Sarr and Minteh would change the profile of this side overnight. All three bring pace, direct running and a willingness to attack space. Defenders would be forced to turn, chase, and make decisions facing their own goal again.
That kind of speed does more than just create chances for the wingers themselves. It opens pockets for Liverpool’s other creators and finishers. The article suggests it could free up players like Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz to do damage between the lines, taking advantage of the space wide runners carve out.
Minteh making noise at Brighton
Minteh’s stock has climbed rapidly at Brighton. Senior sports writer Charlie Parker-Turner has been struck by the Gambian’s impact, highlighting one standout performance in particular.
“Great win. Kaoru Mitoma and Yankuba Minteh were simply unstoppable tonight. Georginio Rutter brings out the best in them both,” he wrote, underlining just how destructive Minteh can be when he has the right support around him.
That kind of “unstoppable” form is exactly what Liverpool are trying to bottle and bring to Anfield.
The club and head coach Andoni Iraola are betting that an injection of raw pace and aggression on the flanks can drag them back into the conversation as genuine title contenders. With the clock ticking and the numbers spiralling, the question is simple: can Liverpool afford to stop now, or is this the moment they go all in on a new era of wide attacking power?
