Liverpool's Pursuit of Barcola and Minteh: A High-Stakes Decision
Liverpool’s search for their next wide forward is turning into a high‑stakes game of patience and pragmatism.
At the top of the list, still, is Bradley Barcola. But the path to the PSG winger is littered with obstacles big enough to force Richard Hughes to scan the market with increasing urgency.
Barcola: elite target, record fee
Barcola has used this summer’s World Cup as a global showcase. Dropped into a France attack already bursting with star power, he has looked at home, part of a frontline that has rattled in 16 goals in six matches on the way to a semi-final against Spain.
He is jostling with club and country team-mate Desire Doué for a starting place, but the bigger battle lies beyond the tournament. Once France’s campaign ends, Barcola’s club future comes back into sharp focus.
Sources have indicated he is open to leaving PSG. Minutes under Luis Enrique have dried up, and the European champions are pushing ahead with plans to sign Yan Diomande and Maghnes Akliouche, crowding the attacking picture even further. Barcola, 23, has already paused talks over a new deal, with his current contract running down towards its final two years. That stance nudges PSG towards a decision they would rather avoid: cash in now, or risk losing leverage later.
Selling him will not come cheap. Internally, PSG are said to be eyeing a fee beyond the current British transfer record. Liverpool know that sort of number drags them into a bidding war they do not control – and they would not be alone.
Arsenal are circling. Daily Mail journalist Lewis Steele revealed over the weekend that people around the Emirates believe the Gunners are at the front of the queue should PSG open the door.
“Arsenal seem very hot on Morgan Rogers. Can they afford both of him and Bradley Barcola? I’m not sure,” Steele said. “I had a text from someone in the know at Arsenal, or around Arsenal, I should say, last week, and they were saying that they believe that Arsenal are top of the race for Barcola. But I don’t know how clear-cut it is; we don’t know for certain whether he’s leaving – that’s another question.”
Liverpool remain alive in the conversation, but they can read the room. When the fee climbs towards record territory and the Premier League champions are leaning in, a sporting director has to be ready with Plan B.
At Anfield, that plan is starting to look a lot like Yankuba Minteh.
Minteh: £70m alternative moves into focus
talkSPORT report that Liverpool are now giving serious thought to a move for Minteh, the Brighton winger who has been on their radar for months. His name first surfaced around Anfield in June 2024, when he was flagged as a player admired by FSG, and he was later listed among six wide options under consideration.
The tone has shifted. This is no longer background scouting. According to the latest reports, Liverpool are plotting a firm approach for the 21-year-old, a player described as “lightning quick” and “extremely dangerous”.
Brighton, as ever, will be a problem. The Seagulls are open to selling their best players, but only on their terms. They negotiate hard, they wait, and they usually get premium fees. A deal around the £70m mark has been mooted for Minteh, a figure that underlines how far the market has moved – and how highly he is regarded despite modest raw numbers.
Journalist David Lynch believes the profile fits what Liverpool need under new head coach Andoni Iraola.
“I have to say the one I lean towards, and he probably had the least impressive season of the three, actually, is probably Minteh,” Lynch said, when comparing Minteh with Matias Fernandez-Pardo and Said El Mala. “Minteh is probably a better profile fit, obviously a left footer on the right-hand side, with Premier League experience.”
On paper, the output does not dazzle. The Gambia international finished the 2025/26 season with seven goal contributions – three goals and four assists – in 34 appearances. Those numbers would not usually scream £70m.
Lynch argues context matters.
“He didn’t have a great season last season in terms of output,” he admitted. “I think the way Brighton play may hamstring him a little bit. He’s very much pushed out quite wide rather than getting into goal-scoring central positions.”
Liverpool see a different picture. In Iraola’s aggressive, front-foot system, wingers are encouraged to attack the box, not just hug the touchline. The Spaniard wants intensity off the ball and directness on it. Minteh ticks both boxes.
“I think in a kind of Iraola system, I can easily see how his numbers would upscale,” Lynch added. “He also works incredibly hard off the ball. His defensive numbers are great.”
A left-footer on the right, with pace to burn and a big engine. For a club preparing for life after Mohamed Salah, that combination carries obvious appeal.
Barcola still the dream – for now
Even as Minteh climbs the list, Barcola remains the dream signing. Lynch made that clear when weighing up Liverpool’s options after missing out on Diomande earlier in the window.
“I think it’s tough pickings really,” he said. “That’s why I’m really wedded to the idea that you go and get Barcola if you can. But if they had to move down the list, I think he [Minteh] would be quite high up for me.”
That is the tension Liverpool are living with. Barcola offers proven quality at the highest level, but at a cost and in a market crowded by Arsenal. Minteh offers upside, Premier League experience and tactical alignment with Iraola, but at a fee that still represents a major gamble.
All of this plays out against a wider backdrop of uncertainty in Liverpool’s attack. A new, surprise contender is reported to have joined the chase for Salah, with Saudi Arabia and Major League Soccer already hovering as the likeliest destinations should the club legend move on.
There are complications elsewhere too. Liverpool’s push to sign a £34m-rated Mexico prospect has hit snags, even as claims surface that contact has already been made over a deal.
Hughes, then, stands at a crossroads. Go all-in on Barcola and fight Arsenal and PSG’s valuation? Pivot decisively to Minteh and trust Iraola to turn raw tools into elite output? Or hold nerve in a market that is only getting wilder?
Liverpool’s next winger will say a lot about the club they want to be in this new era – and how bold they are prepared to be to get there.
