Liverpool have Yankuba Minteh bid turned down by Brighton

Liverpool had an initial big-money bid for Gambian winger Yankuba Minteh turned down by Brighton & Hove Albion.

According to The Athletic, the Reds sent a shock £50 million bid for the talented winger, but Brighton wasted no time knocking it back.

However, that doesn’t put any potential deal to bed, with reports claiming Liverpool could still return to the negotiating table with a much higher bid.

The 22-year-old is one of several wide players Liverpool are considering after Mohamed Salah’s departure left the club with a massive void to fill.

However, Brighton have made it clear that they’re not ready to lose one of their key players.

The Gambia international is currently recovering from surgery after suffering a right leg injury during Brighton’s 3-0 friendly victory over Roma earlier this month.

He could be out for another eight weeks, even though the initial injury was expected to keep him out of action for around three months.

Despite the setback, Minteh is reportedly interested in joining Liverpool if the two clubs can agree on a transfer fee.

Liverpool have explored several options in their quest to replace Salah.

The latest name on their radar was Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola, but the Reds were priced out of a potential move for the France international forward.

Minteh could ultimately be their preferred target, but it will take a fee of more than £50m to lure him away from the Amex Stadium this summer.

Liverpool are also facing a serious fight to keep winger Cody Gakpo, who is attracting plenty of interest from Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

The Reds are reportedly open to letting him leave but only if they can find a replacement. Liverpool are already short on attacking options and losing Gakpo will only set them back further.

With just days until the start of the Premier League campaign, Liverpool still have plenty of work to do to refresh their squad and bolster their attacking options.