Brighton turn down £60m Liverpool bid for Yankuba Minteh
The Seagulls rejected the Reds' second offer, citing a valuation gap for the injured winger as Liverpool continue to search for wide reinforcements.
Brighton & Hove Albion have rejected a £60m bid from Liverpool for winger Yankuba Minteh, marking the second consecutive offer from the Merseyside club to fall short of expectations. According to Sky Sports News, the proposal did not meet Brighton’s valuation for the 22-year-old, following an earlier unsuccessful bid of £50m.
The rejection comes at a time when Brighton are managing significant squad turnover. Minteh is currently unavailable due to an injury that is expected to keep him sidelined until October. The club is also without Kaoru Mitoma, who has been out with a hamstring injury since May. These absences add complexity to Brighton’s preparations for their season opener against Aston Villa on Sunday.
Liverpool’s pursuit of Minteh is part of a broader strategy to reinforce their wide-forward positions, a priority maintained throughout the current transfer window. The Reds have already secured the services of Victor Muñoz from Osasuna and are actively pursuing Bradley Barcola at Paris Saint-Germain. However, the French champions’ valuation of £145m presents a complicating factor, as Liverpool are currently reluctant to reach that figure.
Brighton’s transfer activity extends beyond Minteh, with the club in talks with Manchester United over the sale of Carlos Baleba. An agreement is understood to be close for a deal worth in excess of £60m. This move follows earlier departures of Jan Paul van Hecke to Tottenham and Danny Welbeck to Chelsea, highlighting the sustained interest in the Seagulls’ squad.
Manager Fabian Hurzeler has framed the transfer speculation as a natural consequence of the club’s recent success. Speaking ahead of the upcoming match, Hurzeler noted that high-performing teams inevitably attract significant attention for their key players.
"It's normal that if a team is doing well, then there will be a big ask for players. That's part of my job here, it's part of our identity," Hurzeler said. He added that while the club is aware of the importance of each individual, the situation will evolve as they continue to find solutions.
