Liverpool's Transfer Saga: Pursuing Minteh and PSG Wingers
Liverpool’s winger hunt is turning into one of the summer’s most tangled transfer stories – and two frustrated Paris Saint-Germain forwards are right at the heart of it.
Liverpool push hard for Minteh
Losing Mohamed Salah to Trabzonspor has forced Liverpool to rip up their attacking plan late in the window. The response has been decisive: Victor Munoz has already arrived from Osasuna, and the club are now locked in a high-stakes negotiation for Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh.
On Friday, Gambian journalist Foday Manneh revealed that Brighton had rejected a second Liverpool bid for the 19-year-old after previously turning down an opening £50m offer. His report on X underlined one key point: despite the knock-backs, both clubs still believe a deal can be done and talks are ongoing.
Transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano then echoed that update. He confirmed that Liverpool and Minteh have reached a “broad verbal agreement” on personal terms, with the winger giving the green light to the Anfield project. Brighton, though, have already said no to a £60m bid, forcing Liverpool to decide how far they are prepared to go.
The message is clear. Liverpool want Minteh. Minteh wants Liverpool. Brighton want more money.
Mbaye and Barcola grow impatient
That pursuit carries consequences elsewhere. In Paris, patience is wearing thin.
According to L’Equipe, relayed by Get French Football News, both Ibrahim Mbaye and Bradley Barcola “feel that their respective transfer saga has dragged on for long now”. Liverpool have identified both PSG wingers as targets, but the slow pace of negotiations is beginning to shift the mood on the players’ side.
Neither Mbaye nor Barcola is expected to travel with Luis Enrique’s squad for PSG’s Ligue 1 opener against Rennes. For two attackers in their prime years, watching from a distance while their futures hang in the balance is hardly an attractive prospect.
Talks between PSG and Liverpool for the France international Barcola are described as progressing, but only gradually. For Mbaye, Senegal’s wide man, discussions are moving even slower. With just ten days left in the window, that delay matters.
L’Equipe report that Mbaye is now prepared to consider other clubs if Liverpool do not accelerate their move. The initial enthusiasm for Anfield is colliding with the reality of stalled negotiations and a firm stance from PSG on price.
A €20m stand-off
The numbers explain the deadlock. RMC Sport, as cited in the same report, claim Liverpool and PSG are €20m apart on Mbaye’s valuation. PSG want €70m. Liverpool are holding at €50m.
It is a classic late-window stare-down: a selling club with no intention of blinking, and a buying club convinced its valuation is the sensible one. Every day that passes tightens the screw on all sides.
If Liverpool push ahead and close Minteh, the impact on Mbaye’s situation could be decisive. Do the Reds then walk away from PSG’s demands? Do they try to force the price down with the threat of moving on? Or does Mbaye, tired of waiting, turn his attention to a different project entirely?
For now, Liverpool’s winger rebuild hangs on three fronts – Brighton, Paris, and the ticking clock of the transfer deadline. One big decision will shape the rest of their summer.
