Liverpool well placed to save '£5m' on Yankuba Minteh deal amid change of 'tactics'

Liverpool should be looking to secure a reduction in Brighton's £70million asking price for winger Yankuba Minteh.

That is according to former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes that a small reduction would be a fair trade for the player's injury.

The 22-year-old is likely to be out until November, but that hasn't stopped the Reds from pursuing him, and they have already seen two bids rejected.

The second of those offers came in at the £60m mark, but Wyness believes that a deal should be possible for Liverpool at £65m.

He outlined that he sees little issue with the fact that Minteh wouldn't be able to play for his new club straight away, and believes that the value across a long-term contract would be there.

The wideman notched three goals and four assists in the Premier League last term, but hasn't featured competitively for Brighton in 2026-27.

Liverpool to lean on Yankuba Minteh injury

Everton’s former chief Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that Liverpool should be looking to lean on Minteh's injury to try and secure a slightly lower fee.

The Scottish businessman made it clear that they must show a level of doubt over the starlet's recovery if they want to strike a cheaper deal.

Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider's Inside Track podcast, Wyness explained the kind of "tactics" that Liverpool will be using to tempt Brighton.

"I've been in this situation before when I've been bidding for a player who is injured, and you've got to look at it in two ways really," he said.

"One is you're not buying a player with a long-term injury, so it could be as you say, back by November. You'd be thinking, OK, can I chip away at the price because of this injury that the selling club has got? 

"In this case, could you get them down to £65m and save £5m of the fee, which of course would go to cover a lot of the wages for the player coming in, at least for the first year?

"That's obviously while you're saying to the selling club, we can't guarantee that and will he recover properly, et cetera. So you'd use all those tactics to try and get him in there.

"What you've got to remain focused on is that you're buying in for five years and not just the short-term injury. And so if you really believe the value is there, that's what you've got to do."

Brighton make contact over winger replacement

Football Insider revealed last week that Brighton have made contact with Huddersfield Town over a move to sign their winger Cameron Ashia.

Bundesliga side Hamburg have also made an enquiry, while Anderlecht from Belgium are also pursuing a deal.

Brighton are big admirers of the 21-year-old, and are keen to sign him before the upcoming 1 September deadline.

With Minteh potentially heading out the door, the Seagulls may already be moving towards their replacement, which plays into Liverpool's hands.