Liverpool target deadly £50m winger as two Minteh alternatives emerge
Ismaila Sarr is among two right wingers Liverpool look set to consider after multiple sources confirmed their deal for Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh is off.
In addition to their pursuit of Bradley Barcola, Liverpool are searching for a right winger who can replace Anfield icon Mohamed Salah. The Reds are long-term admirers of Minteh, having first looked at him during Arne Slot’s time in charge, and they opened negotiations with Brighton by submitting a £50million offer for the Gambian.
After that bid was rejected, Liverpool raised their proposal to £60m.
The expectation was that Brighton would sell Minteh for £70m, and Liverpool had been weighing up a third bid in recent days.
But according to multiple sources, including Fabrizio Romano and Ben Jacobs, Liverpool have paused their interest in the 22-year-old after Brighton demanded £80m during a new round of talks.
As per Romano, Liverpool have ‘gone cold’ on Minteh and are now ‘exploring different options for the second winger’ after Barcola.
Crystal Palace ace Sarr and Barcola’s Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Ibrahim Mbaye are two other avenues Liverpool could explore.
Turkish journalist Nevzat Dindar revealed on Saturday that Liverpool are ‘interested’ in Sarr, potentially teeing up a battle with Galatasaray for his services.
Dindar said: “Ismaila Sarr can play in many areas of the attacking line, which is why [Galatasaray boss] Okan Buruk wants this transfer very much.
“Galatasaray is extremely serious about the Ismaila Sarr transfer. Crystal Palace, on the other hand, is just as determined not to sell the player.
“However, Sarr wants to leave and did not take a place in the squad today for this reason.
“It’s also reported that Liverpool is interested in the Senegalese footballer.”
We revealed on Sunday that Manchester United are monitoring Sarr’s situation as Galatasaray push to strike a breakthrough with Palace.
Our sources state that Palace want at least £50m to sell the Senegal international, whereas Galatasaray aim to sign him for £30-43m.
Liverpool fans would like to see Sarr lining up for the Reds rather than against them. Sarr has a brilliant record against Liverpool, having notched seven goals and two assists in 10 appearances vs Liverpool across spells at Watford and Palace.
Alternatively, Liverpool could return for PSG’s Mbaye. They have already agreed a five-year contract with Mbaye and held talks with PSG for him.
Liverpool tracking Sarr, Mbaye
The issue is the 18-year-old’s price. There have been conflicting reports on how much PSG want for the player, ranging from £43m all the way up to £60m.
On Tuesday, Jacobs provided the following update on Minteh and Mbaye.
“With Minteh, they held some talks over the weekend. They’re deciding today; so it could change any minute and very quickly whether they want to make a third bid,” the reporter said.
“If they go to £70m, it’ll be a done deal, according to Brighton sources. My sense is Liverpool might consider £65m first. That was discussed at the weekend, but I think if Liverpool bid one more time it’ll almost be a final bid, because they’ve got other options [like] Ibrahim Mbaye.
“But PSG want €70m [£59.8m], which is still equivalent to Minteh. So, they’ve got two options now at roughly the same price. But my expectation is that it’s Barcola plus one.”
Meanwhile, we provided a huge update on Liverpool’s pursuit of Barcola on Tuesday.
