Yankuba Minteh to Liverpool transfer update drops after failed £80m summer move - "A big win"

Brighton & Hove Albion attacker Yankuba Minteh remains keen on a move to Liverpool in 2027, according to a Gambian football expert.

The 22-year-old was a leading target for the Reds throughout the summer window, but Liverpool failed to meet Brighton's £80m asking price and saw more than one approach knocked back.

Minteh is yet to feature this season for Brighton due to a foot injury, and the Gambia international may not be back in action until late October or early November.

Nevertheless, Liverpool continue to be linked with a swoop for the former Feyenoord winger, who boasts 10 goals and nine assists in 73 matches for the Seagulls in all tournaments.

Now, Gambian expert Baboucarr Fallaboweh - speaking to Sport Witness - has claimed that Minteh would still welcome the chance to move to Anfield, and it is unlikely that he will consider a transfer outside of the Premier League.

Yankuba Minteh 'still wants' to join Liverpool

"I think Liverpool. He will still want to go to Liverpool. Depending on [how] Liverpool will activate that desire to still have him," Fallaboweh said. "Because right now, his situation has not been helped because he is injured. If not, then you could have more justification for him to showcase his performance why Liverpool were after him.

“But at the overall situation, even if he moves, I don’t think he will move outside the Premier League. Manchester United can come banging on their doors.

“It’s a big win for him to be associated with Liverpool. So, it gives other big European clubs around the world to take a closer look at him now that they know Brighton’s actual price. So, it will be easier for them to explore it."

A few days after the summer window closed, Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler hinted that Minteh could leave in January, as his proposed move to Liverpool could have happened had it not been for his untimely foot injury.

Brighton paid €35m (£30.1m) to sign Minteh in 2024, and the attacker's contract at the Amex Stadium does not expire until the end of the 2028-29 campaign.

Do Liverpool need Yankuba Minteh?

With the Minteh door closed, Liverpool pulled off the marquee signing of Bradley Barcola, who has shown bright flashes during his earliest days under Andoni Iraola.

Barcola is one of several wide options at Iraola's disposal, a list that also comprises Victor Munoz, Rio Ngumoha, Florian Wirtz, Cody Gakpo and Federico Chiesa, although the latter has also not featured yet this season due to injury.

Meanwhile, Gakpo could supposedly still leave in 2027 following summer interest from Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City, while Wirtz's long-term future is not set in stone amid mounting criticism of his displays.

Furthermore, Liverpool did not sign a direct right-wing replacement for Mohamed Salah in the summer, and if Minteh hits the ground running on his return from injury, the Reds ought to swiftly reignite their interest.