Liverpool's Winger Search: Minteh, Sarr, or Mbaye?
Liverpool’s pursuit of a successor to Mohamed Salah has taken a sharp turn, with Brighton’s price for Yankuba Minteh forcing the club to cool their interest and look elsewhere – straight towards Ismaila Sarr and Paris Saint-Germain prospect Ibrahim Mbaye.
Minteh chase stalls as Brighton crank up the price
Liverpool had identified Minteh as a key target on the right flank, a player they have admired since Arne Slot’s time in charge at Feyenoord. Talks with Brighton opened with a £50 million offer for the 22-year-old Gambian, which was swiftly knocked back.
Liverpool came back with £60m. Brighton held their nerve.
The expectation around the deal was clear: reach £70m and a compromise would likely be found. Inside Anfield, a third bid at that level was being weighed up over the weekend.
Then the demands changed.
Multiple sources, including Fabrizio Romano and Ben Jacobs, report that Brighton pushed their asking price up to £80m during fresh negotiations. That figure has effectively frozen Liverpool’s interest. Romano described the club as having “gone cold” on Minteh, with the recruitment team now “exploring different options for the second winger” to follow Bradley Barcola.
Minteh is no longer the only name on the list. He may not even be the priority.
Sarr: the winger Liverpool know all too well
One of those alternatives is a familiar tormentor. Crystal Palace’s Ismaila Sarr has hurt Liverpool more than once, and the numbers underline it: seven goals and two assists in 10 games against the Reds across his spells at Watford and Palace.
Now he is being seriously considered as a potential solution to replace Salah on the right.
Turkish journalist Nevzat Dindar revealed on Saturday that Liverpool are “interested” in Sarr, setting up the possibility of a three-way tug-of-war with Galatasaray and Palace. Dindar outlined just how highly Okan Buruk rates the Senegalese forward, stressing that the Galatasaray manager “wants this transfer very much” because of Sarr’s ability to operate across the front line.
Galatasaray are pushing. Palace are resisting.
“Galatasaray is extremely serious about the Ismaila Sarr transfer. Crystal Palace, on the other hand, is just as determined not to sell the player,” Dindar said, adding that Sarr wants to leave and was left out of the squad as a result.
Liverpool are not alone in the Premier League either. Manchester United are monitoring the situation as Galatasaray try to break Palace’s resolve.
The financial gap is stark. Palace want at least £50m for the Senegal international. Galatasaray are aiming much lower, in the £30-43m range. Liverpool, should they move, would be operating closer to Palace’s valuation than the Turkish champions’.
For many Liverpool supporters, the idea of Sarr finally wearing red rather than attacking it has a certain logic. They have seen first-hand how destructive he can be.
Mbaye remains on the table – at a price
Alongside Sarr, Liverpool are also keeping a close eye on Ibrahim Mbaye, Barcola’s team-mate at PSG.
Work has already been done in the background. Liverpool have agreed a five-year contract with the 18-year-old and held talks with PSG about a transfer. The talent is not in doubt. The fee is.
Reports differ on what PSG are demanding, with figures ranging from £43m up to £60m. That range places Mbaye in the same financial bracket as Minteh, without the Premier League experience but with significant upside and a deal structure already mapped out.
Ben Jacobs, speaking on Tuesday, laid out the state of play with both Minteh and Mbaye. He confirmed that Liverpool held talks with Brighton over Minteh at the weekend and were, at that point, deciding whether to lodge a third bid.
“If they go to £70m, it’ll be a done deal, according to Brighton sources,” Jacobs said. “My sense is Liverpool might consider £65m first. That was discussed at the weekend, but I think if Liverpool bid one more time it’ll almost be a final bid, because they’ve got other options [like] Ibrahim Mbaye.”
PSG, though, are not backing down easily. “PSG want €70m [£59.8m], which is still equivalent to Minteh,” Jacobs added. “So, they’ve got two options now at roughly the same price. But my expectation is that it’s Barcola plus one.”
That line sums up Liverpool’s summer on the wings. Barcola is the constant. The “plus one” is where the real intrigue lies.
Will it be the proven Premier League menace in Sarr, the high-priced project in Mbaye, or a late twist in the Minteh saga if valuations soften?
Liverpool’s next move on the right flank will say a lot about how bold they intend to be in life after Salah.
