Liverpool’s rebuild after Mohammed Salah’s departure has run into a family obstacle, as Brighton & Hove Albion has rejected the Reds’ second bid for Yankuna Minteh. Liverpool’s first offer for the 22-year-old winger was £50 million, which was rejected, and an instant follow-up of £60 million was also knocked down.
The seagulls set Minteh’s valuation at around £70 million, which has raised serious questions about whether the player is actually worth that amount. At the moment, he is on the sidelines following surgery on his right leg sustained in a pre-season friendly against AS Roma.
Now, the question on the mind of every Liverpool fan, pundit, and analyst is whether the 22-year-old Brighton winger currently injured is worth £70 million.
Who is Yankuba Minteh?
Yankuba Minteh is a Gambian professional footballer who currently plays as a right winger for Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion. He was born on 22 July 2004 in Serekunda, Gambia. At 22, he stands at 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) and wears the number 11 jersey for Brighton.
He is known for his pace, direct dribbles, and clinical finishes from the right wing. Over time, he has established himself as one of the most exciting young wingers in English football, after completing a move from Newcastle United to Brighton in the summer of 2024.
Since his transfer, he has gone on to become one of the most exciting Brighton wingers, scoring nine (9) goals in 66 appearances for the Seagulls.
Full Name: Yankuna Minteh
Date of Birth: 22 July 2004
Height: 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position: Right Winger
Preferred foot: Left
Current Club: Brighton & Hove Albion
Shirt number: 11
Contract until: 30 June 2029
National Team: Gambia
Liverpool’s Bid So Far for Yankuba Minteh
Liverpool’s first bid of £50 million was rejected within 24 hours, and the Reds immediately followed up with a second bid of an additional £10 million to bring the number to £60 million, which was rejected almost as quickly.
As reported by The Athletics, Brighton are keen to only sell at £70 million, but some outlets claim a fee of £66 million could instantly push a move.
Personal terms are reportedly already agreed between Minteh and Liverpool. This was clearly stated by transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, a clear sign that it is a club-to-club valuation, rather than a player who is not willing to make the move.
What is the Market Value Data Actually Saying About Minteh
Here is the most interesting part of Minteh’s transfer: far from the £70 million valuation Brighton placed on the 22-year-old winger, real market data from Football Transfer has estimated his transfer value (ETV) to be €44.7 million to € 54.6 million.
These numbers draw the conclusion that Bighton’s asking price sits above every major statistical valuation model currently. Brighton isn’t just negotiating hard; they are asking for a fee over £20 million from the player’s actual value, which is irrational.
However, this could be because of scarcity and timing, as Liverpool is in urgent need of a natural right winger to replace the already departed Mohammed Salah.
Also read: Why Did Curtis Jones Leave Liverpool? Breaking Down the £30 million Inter Milan Transfer
The Injury Wrinkle Nobody is Talking About
This is the part of the transfer story that deserves more evaluation than it is currently getting. Minteh is out following surgery on the right leg and is expected to return to action in about eight weeks, which would be in October or thereabouts.
This means Liverpool paying £70 million right now would be paying prime value money for a player you can’t use for roughly two months at the start of the season. Regardless, there is no full visibility into how the injury and surgery will affect his sharpness on return.
This is not the first case of clubs buying injured players, but by doing this, there should be confident scans and medical prognosis on the severity of the injury. On second thought, Brighton could be capitalising on Liverpool’s need for Salah’s replacement to give real-time value to an Unavailable player.
The Brighton Playbook
If you are looking for the real answer to why Brighton won’t budge for Liverpool’s £60 million bid, look at their transfer history than just Minteh’s deal. The club has built one of the most efficient recruiting, development, and selling systems in modern football.
Moises Caicedo was signed for about £4.5 million and sold to Chelsea for a fee that reportedly touched £115 million.
Alexis Mac Allister signed for the club for roughly £7 million and was sold to the same Liverpool for around £35 million after his World Cup-winning campaign with Argentina.
The list still goes on to Marc Cucurella; the pattern is consistent, and Brighton does not panic sell. Minteh, at just 22 with a rising profile and a “next Salah” narrative placed on him by pundits, could be the reason for Brighton’s stance on the deal.
This system has been a reputable business model that has worked for them time and again, and as it appears, there is little incentive for them to break from it now, especially with Liverpool’s desperation for a natural right winger.
