Brighton Rejects Liverpool Bids for Yankuba Minteh's Dream Move
Brighton stand firm as Hurzeler backs Minteh to chase ‘dream’ move later
Liverpool came hard. Brighton did not blink.
Fabian Hurzeler has confirmed the club turned down two sizeable bids from Liverpool for Yankuba Minteh in the recent transfer window, insisting the winger can still chase his “dream” move further down the line – but only after delivering for Brighton first.
Liverpool tested Brighton’s resolve with offers of £50m and £60m for the 22-year-old, as Andoni Iraola looked to sharpen his attacking options. Brighton, though, valued the Gambia international closer to £70m and were prepared to hold the line.
They could afford to. Minteh is no fringe prospect.
Signed from Newcastle for £30m in 2024, he has grown into a key part of the Seagulls’ attack, operating mainly from the right and contributing 10 goals and nine assists across 73 appearances. Those numbers, at his age, explain why Liverpool pushed – and why Brighton pushed back.
Speaking before Saturday’s Premier League meeting with Leeds, Hurzeler laid out the club’s stance with a clarity that left little room for doubt.
“If the whole team is successful and the individual shines then Yankuba will get a lot of attention again and he can then maybe fulfil his dream in the next transfer window,” the Brighton manager said.
The message was clear: stay, perform, and the door to a blockbuster move will not close. Not yet.
For now, Hurzeler insists there is no split loyalty, no sulking star to manage.
Minteh, he says, is “definitely” committed to Brighton despite the failed move to Merseyside. The German head coach pointed to the winger’s journey on the south coast as proof of that bond.
“He wears the Brighton colours, he wears the Brighton badge. He has been with us for two years now as part of the squad. He has achieved great things together with the boys,” Hurzeler said.
The challenge now shifts back to the player. Interest has been established, the market has spoken, and Minteh knows his price.
“It’s also about him now to commit,” Hurzeler added. “In the end, we always say we want to be successful as a club and then you can shine as individuals.
“That is what we have proved in the past. If we achieve things together, the attention will come to the individual players and that will be the case also this season.”
Brighton have built their recent rise on exactly that model: collective performance first, individual elevation as a consequence. Minteh is simply the latest to find himself at the centre of that equation.
The winger stays. The bids are rejected. The season begins with a clear ultimatum: drive Brighton on, and the next time the phone rings, the dream move might not be turned away.
