Liverpool Face £70m Decision on Yankuba Minteh
Liverpool are staring at a crossroads in the final days of the window. The search for Mohamed Salah’s long-term heir has led them to Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh – but the price, and the wider squad picture, is forcing some hard choices.
Liverpool weigh up £70m Minteh gamble
Victor Munoz is already through the door and made an instant impact, winning a penalty on debut in the 2-2 draw with Newcastle. Yet inside Anfield there has never been a sense that one winger would be enough. Liverpool have been working multiple tracks, sounding out deals for Bradley Barcola, Ibrahim Mbaye and Minteh as they look to reshape the attack for the post-Salah era.
Minteh is the one that won’t go away.
Liverpool have already seen two bids – £50m and £60m – rejected by Brighton. The message from the south coast is clear: it will take in excess of £70m to move the Gambian. For a player with 17 Premier League goal contributions, that figure is forcing Liverpool to pause.
Ben Jacobs has reported “fresh talks” between the clubs, with Liverpool now wrestling with the key question: do they go again and push past the £70m mark, or walk away from a deal that has eaten up time and energy all summer?
Paying that kind of money for a 19-year-old who may be asked to step into the space vacated by arguably the greatest player in the club’s modern history is no small call. Every move from here carries consequences.
Mbaye chase cools as price bites
One of the alternative options is already fading.
Paris Saint-Germain forward Ibrahim Mbaye has been on Liverpool’s list for weeks, but the European champions’ demands have turned the pursuit into a non-starter. Fabrizio Romano says Liverpool have effectively stepped back from the deal for now.
“For Ibrahim Mbaye, appreciated, yes, talks, yes,” Romano explained on YouTube, “but other clubs could jump on the opportunity because Liverpool at the moment considered Paris Saint-Germain’s price too high for Ibrahim Mbaye.”
PSG’s valuation is understood to start at around €70m (£60m). That level has not only put Liverpool off; other suitors are hesitating too. With Mbaye drifting out of reach and Barcola still in the conversation, the Minteh decision grows even more important.
Three elite midfielders passed over
While the attacking debate rumbles on, another major call has already been made in midfield.
Curtis Jones has gone to Inter Milan, leaving a gap many expected Liverpool to fill. Andoni Iraola, aware early on that Jones could depart, initially had concerns about depth and urged the club to keep him if possible.
TEAMtalk insider Graeme Bailey revealed that Liverpool did their homework on several high-end options before deciding to hold fire.
“Before pre-season I am told that Andoni Iraola, aware of the Curtis Jones situation, was worried about the depth – one reason he wanted Jones to stay,” Bailey said. “Iraola also wanted work done on other options and we can confirm that was the case.”
Liverpool explored situations around Elliot Anderson, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes. All three would have represented serious statements of intent in midfield, but the club ultimately ruled them out as not the right fits under current conditions.
They also ran the rule over a younger bracket. Adam Wharton, Alex Scott and Lamine Camara were all closely assessed and impressed those inside the club.
“But the likes of Adam Wharton, Alex Scott and Lamine Camara – very good young players – have been assessed and they like what they have seen and heard,” Bailey continued, “but we are talking £50, £60 or even more than £70million in terms of deals.”
Once again, the numbers bit hard. Liverpool have chosen not to plunge into another big-money midfield signing – and that restraint has thrown the spotlight onto one teenager already in the building.
Nyoni changes the plan
The turning point came from within.
Trey Nyoni’s emergence in pre-season has, by all accounts, altered Iraola’s thinking. The 17-year-old midfielder has impressed to such an extent that the manager no longer views a replacement for Jones as essential.
“Then in comes Nyoni and he has blown Iraola away,” Bailey said. “They firmly believe he is first-team ready and can compete with the likes of [Dominik] Szoboszlai, [Ryan] Gravenberch and [Alexis] Mac Allister – they really see that as a midfield four and they even have Endo still around.”
That faith in Nyoni allows Liverpool to funnel resources elsewhere – straight back to the Minteh conundrum. If the club are willing to trust a teenager in the heart of midfield, are they prepared to stake upwards of £70m on another to help carry the attacking burden?
With Mbaye’s price deemed excessive and three elite midfielders left on the table, Liverpool’s window now feels like it hinges on one question: do they push all the way for Yankuba Minteh, or accept that the Salah succession plan will have to wait?
