Brighton demand £70m for Minteh after rejecting Liverpool's two bids

Brighton have rejected two bids from Liverpool for winger Yankuba Minteh and will not sell for less than £70m, The Independent understands. The Reds submitted offers of £50m and then £60m, both of which were rebuffed, leaving a potential third bid as the likeliest route to completing the deal before the 2 September deadline.

Brighton’s resolve is informed in part by the £70m fee being paid by Manchester United for midfielder Carlos Baleba, a figure the club views as a relevant benchmark for valuing Minteh. The 22-year-old Gambian international missed Brighton’s 4-0 win over Aston Villa through injury but remains a priority target for Reds head coach Andoni Iraola.

Liverpool have also explored a move for Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola this summer, though talks have stalled significantly — PSG are understood to have floated a £145m asking price, a figure far beyond what Liverpool are prepared to pay.

Iraola’s interest in Minteh stems from a desire to add genuine width to his attack. With Cody Gakpo operating from the left and Rio Ngumoha from the right, and Florian Wirtz viewed primarily as a No 10 in the Spaniard’s system, a natural wide forward remains a clear gap in the squad.

The need for reinforcements was underlined on Sunday when Liverpool were held to a 2-2 draw at Newcastle, rescued only by Dominic Szoboszlai’s stoppage-time penalty. Iraola has already brought in centre-backs Jeremy Jacquet and Ronald Araujo, as well as winger Victor Munoz, but acknowledged his squad remains stretched.

“Some deals you have to wait until the end,” Iraola said. “But the end is the important picture, the one we will have on September 1, because it is true that we are still quite thin.”

The manager was candid about the frustration of operating in a live transfer window while the season is already under way. “I hate these two weeks or these 10 days that we have because there is a lot of uncertainty — but not in Liverpool, everywhere because once the market is open. But we have to adapt.”