Liverpool have been linked with a handful of Newcastle United players, with the Magpies keen to sell to avoid Profit and Sustainability breaches
Reported Liverpool target Yankuba Minteh is poised to join Premier League rivals Brighton and Hove Albion after a deal worth up to £33m was agreed with Newcastle United. The initial cost will be £30m, with £3m in add-ons as the Seagulls prepare to make the 19-year-old their club record signing.
They paid just shy of £30m for Joao Pedro last August, but Minteh’s price tag has eclipsed that fee. Newcastle were keen to sell at least one player for a sizeable windfall before the end of June in order to keep in line with the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability rules.
The player was set for a medical on the south coast over the weekend, denying Arne Slot a reunion with the player who spent last campaign on loan at Feynoord. He played 37 times and scored 11 goals under Slot across all competitions in the Netherlands last term, and had been linked with a move to Anfield following Slot’s appointment as Jurgen Klopp’s successor.
He joined Newcastle from Danish club Odense last June but has yet to make a first-team appearance for the St James’ Park club. His agent had confirmed interest from a number of clubs amid the Magpies’ willingness to sell. One of those clubs with a strong interest were Liverpool’s Merseyside rivals Everton.
“It is correct that Newcastle are willing to sell the player if they receive a good offer,” Bojang said earlier in June. “From our side if Newcastle wants to sell and the sporting project is good we will definitely look at it. We are in communication with some clubs.”
Slot is clearly a fan of the player, as he issued praise earlier this year. He said: “If you are that fast, it is a huge weapon. One action and he is gone, then you will not catch up with him again. I think that his choices are already improving in the final phase. The bad thing for us is that if his choices become really good, he will probably no longer play for us.”
Minteh’s proposed move to Brighton has been widely reported amid claims the Magpies are open to selling Anthony Gordon to Liverpool. The Daily Mail has claimed that the Magpies were ‘ready to sell’ the winger to the Reds – but a move broke down. Reports from BBC Sport claimed part of the deal would have seen Jarrell Quansah move the other way, something Liverpool were not keen on after a breakthrough year for the young centre-back as he made 32 appearances under Klopp.
Gordon joined the Magpies from Liverpool’s Merseyside rivals Everton for £45m in January 2023 just a few months after Chelsea had an offer worth the same knocked back by the Toffees. Gordon scored 12 goals and provided 11 assists in 48 appearances for Eddie Howe’s side last term as he enjoyed what was arguably the best season of his career.
Newcastle will be under less pressure to sell Gordon to Liverpool following Minteh’s pending switch to Brighton while the Magpies have also agreed a fee with Nottingham Forest for Elliot Anderson, who was scheduled for a medical on Sunday ahead of a proposed £35m move.
