Liverpool have had a second bid for Brighton winger Yankuba Minteh knocked back, with the Seagulls turning down an improved offer of around £60m. The Reds clearly fancy the Gambian wide man and they are not giving up easily, with talks between the two clubs reportedly still continuing. So it is not a dead rubber just yet, but Brighton are making Liverpool work for this one.
Minteh only joined Brighton last summer after a decent loan spell at Feyenoord, and he has quickly caught the eye with his pace, directness and ability to take on defenders. He is raw in places, but that kind of profile is exactly what Liverpool have been looking for out wide, and it is easy to see why Arne Slot is keen. At 20 years old, you are also buying into serious potential here rather than just what is on the tin right now.
Brighton, as ever, are playing this one very smartly. They have built their entire model around buying low, developing well and then selling high, and they are clearly not going to blink first just because Liverpool came back with a shinier number. Sixty million pounds is a lot of money by most people's standards, but if Brighton think he is worth more then they will hold their ground until someone meets their valuation. They have done it before and they will do it again.
From a Liverpool perspective, it feels like they will get their man eventually if they are willing to keep pushing. The fact that talks are continuing suggests Brighton are not completely slamming the door, they are just making sure they squeeze every penny out of the deal. Which, fair enough, is exactly what you would do if you were sitting on a player this exciting.
Whether Liverpool go to £70m or beyond remains to be seen, but they clearly see Minteh as a priority and are not walking away quietly. As a Manchester United fan, watching Liverpool throw big money around is never the most enjoyable thing, but you have to admit they are doing their business with real intent this summer.
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