Liverpool's Forward Search: Barcola vs. Minteh
Liverpool’s search for a new right-sided forward is turning into a summer saga, and Bradley Barcola sits right at the heart of it. For now.
The PSG winger has lit up this summer’s World Cup, part of a France attack that has rattled in 16 goals in six games and looks capable of more. With a semi-final against Spain looming on Tuesday, Barcola is battling his club and international teammate Désiré Doué for a starting role. On this stage, every touch feels like it adds another zero to the price.
Once France’s tournament ends, the focus around Barcola shifts sharply from the national shirt to his club future. Sources have already indicated he is open to leaving PSG, frustrated by shrinking minutes under Luis Enrique and wary of the club’s recruitment drive. The reigning European champions are pushing to bring in Yan Diomande and Maghnes Akliouche, two more attacking options who would crowd an already congested frontline.
Barcola, 23, has paused contract renewal talks, his current deal running only two more years. That stand-off could force PSG to at least listen to offers. Reluctantly, but realistically.
The problem for Liverpool? Price and competition.
PSG are expected to demand a fee beyond the current British transfer record. On top of that, Liverpool know they are not alone. Arsenal are circling and, according to Daily Mail journalist Lewis Steele, currently seen as frontrunners if PSG give the green light to a sale.
“Arsenal seem very hot on Morgan Rogers. Can they afford both of him and Bradley Barcola? I’m not sure,” Steele said, before outlining the Gunners’ position in the chase.
“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, Steele stressed, remain in the frame, but the numbers are brutal and the competition fierce. That reality has pushed Richard Hughes and his recruitment team to keep other irons in the fire.
Minteh Moves Up the List
According to talkSPORT, Liverpool are giving serious thought to a move for Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh, a player they have tracked for some time. The Gambian forward first appeared on FSG’s radar in June 2024, and by late June this year he was named as one of six options under consideration for the wide-forward role.
Now the interest has hardened. The report claims Liverpool are plotting a concrete approach for the 21-year-old, a winger described as “lightning quick” and “extremely dangerous”.
Brighton, of course, rarely sell cheaply. The Seagulls are open to parting with their best players, but they negotiate hard and usually walk away with maximum value. A £70m figure has been floated around Minteh as a realistic level for a serious bid, and Liverpool know exactly what kind of battle that implies.
Even so, there is a growing sense within the game that Minteh fits what Liverpool need. Journalist David Lynch, speaking about the club’s winger shortlist that also includes Matias Fernandez-Pardo and Said El Mala, made his preference clear.
“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 admitted.
“Minteh is probably a better profile fit, obviously a left footer on the right-hand side, with Premier League experience.”
On paper, his numbers last season hardly scream marquee signing: seven goal contributions – three goals and four assists – in 34 appearances across the 2025/26 campaign. Solid, not spectacular.
Lynch believes those figures hide a player constrained by Brighton’s system rather than defined by it.
“He didn’t have a great season last season in terms of output,” he said. “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 something similar. In Andoni Iraola’s high-energy, vertical system, wide forwards are asked to attack the box, not just hug the touchline. That is where Minteh’s profile becomes interesting.
“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, Premier League-tested, ferocious in the press. For a club staring down the prospect of life after Mohamed Salah, that combination carries obvious appeal.
Barcola Still the Ideal – But Time Is Ticking
For all the noise around Minteh, Lynch made one thing clear: Barcola remains the gold-standard target.
“I think it’s tough pickings really,” he said, reflecting on Liverpool’s options after missing out on Diomande. “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 line captures Liverpool’s dilemma. Barcola is the statement signing, the one who fits the elite bracket and the one the market knows will cost a fortune. Minteh is the calculated play, the 21-year-old with room to explode under the right coach and within the right structure.
All of this plays out against a wider backdrop of uncertainty in Liverpool’s attack. A “shock” new suitor has reportedly entered the race for club legend Salah, with a move to Saudi Arabia or Major League Soccer now seen as the most likely next step if he does leave Anfield. At the same time, the club’s pursuit of a £34m-rated Mexico sensation has run into “complications”, despite claims that initial contact has already been made.
So Liverpool stand at a familiar crossroads: chase the blockbuster deal in Barcola, wrestle with PSG and Arsenal, and risk being priced out; or pivot decisively towards Minteh, a £70m alternative who may not yet have the numbers but looks built for the way Iraola wants his team to run, press and break.
One thing is clear. With Salah’s future in question and the market moving quickly, Liverpool cannot afford to hesitate for long.
