Liverpool's Winger Hunt: Minteh, Mbaye, and Barcola Transfer Saga
Liverpool’s winger hunt is turning into one of the summer’s most tangled transfer plots – and two frustrated Paris Saint-Germain forwards are right at the heart of it.
Liverpool push hard for Minteh after Salah exit
Mohamed Salah’s departure to Trabzonspor has left a hole Liverpool cannot ignore. The response has been swift and aggressive: the focus is on wide players, and the club are deep in negotiations on multiple fronts.
Victor Munoz has already arrived from Osasuna, but the next big swing is aimed at Yankuba Minteh. Liverpool have tested Brighton’s resolve twice. Both times, they’ve been knocked back.
Gambian journalist Foday Manneh reported on Friday that Brighton rejected a second offer for Minteh, having already turned down an opening bid of £50m. Despite the refusals, Manneh stressed that both clubs remain optimistic about finding common ground and talks are ongoing.
Transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano then echoed that line. He confirmed that Liverpool and Minteh have reached a broad verbal agreement on personal terms, with the winger giving the green light to the project at Anfield. Brighton, though, are holding firm, having turned away a £60m bid, and negotiations are still live.
The message is clear: Liverpool want Minteh. Brighton know it, and they’re making them pay.
Mbaye grows restless as PSG talks stall
That pursuit has consequences elsewhere.
Any move for Minteh is expected to shape what happens next with Ibrahim Mbaye, who has been on Liverpool’s radar throughout the window. According to L’Equipe, relayed by Get French Football News, the slow pace of negotiations with PSG is starting to wear on the Senegal international.
Mbaye, the report suggests, is no longer content to sit and wait. With only ten days left in the window, he is increasingly prepared to look at other options if Liverpool do not move closer to PSG’s demands.
The financial gap is significant. RMC Sport report that PSG value Mbaye at €70m. Liverpool, by contrast, are only willing to go to €50m. That €20m difference has created a stand-off, and for now, nobody is blinking.
Barcola caught in the same storm
Mbaye is not alone. Bradley Barcola, also on Liverpool’s list, finds himself stuck in a similar holding pattern.
L’Equipe report that both Mbaye and Barcola feel their transfer sagas have dragged on for too long. The pair are not expected to be included in Luis Enrique’s travelling squad for PSG’s Ligue 1 opener against Rennes, an omission that underlines their uncertain status at the club.
Talks between PSG and Liverpool over Barcola, a France international, are said to be progressing – but slowly. Discussions for Mbaye are moving at an even more glacial pace. That imbalance is only sharpening the player’s frustration as the clock ticks down.
A race against the clock
Liverpool’s strategy is clear: reshape the attack quickly and decisively after Salah’s exit, without being held to ransom. The reality is messier. Minteh is keen, but Brighton are stubborn. Mbaye is interested, but PSG’s valuation is sky-high. Barcola waits in the same queue.
Something has to give. The question is whether it will be Liverpool’s budget, PSG’s demands, or the patience of the wingers caught in the middle of it all.
