Liverpool have had a £50 million bid rejected for Yankuba Minteh, per David Ornstein
The kid has one crazy story, by the way.
Four years ago, he wasn’t playing in Europe’s top leagues. He was not even in FIFA Career Mode
He was just a teenager in Bakoteh, The Gambia, growing up in a cramped two-room home as one of seven children. His father worked as a hotel chef, his mother sold vegetables in the local market, and football for Yankuba Minteh was never about fame; it was the family’s way out.
Minteh learned the game on red sandy pitches, where locals nicknamed him “Bakoteh Messi.” He played for Steve Biko FC in the Gambian league before getting a life-changing trial with Danish club Odense BK.
The first trial didn’t convince them. He failed
His agent fought, and they gave him a second chance.
Within months of signing, he made his senior debut against FC Copenhagen and scored the winning goal just three minutes after coming on.
The rocket had launched.
Newcastle bought him in 2023, but PSR forced them to sell before he even played a competitive game. His loan at Feyenoord under Arne Slot changed everything: 11 goals, 6 assists, a Champions League goal, and unforgettable performances against Ajax.
Brighton paid around £30 million to Castle to bring him back to England from the Netherlands.
Now he’s 22, a Gambian international, and Brighton have just looked at £50 million from Liverpool and said, not enough.
From the sand pitches of Bakoteh to becoming one of the Premier League’s most valuable wingers in barely four years, and a shot at being the ideal Salah replacement at Liverpool
Featured Image via @JacobsBen/X
Chukwukamso A Okoye
Abuja, Nigeria
Chikamsookoye@gmail.com | Mrfocuschikamso@gmail.com
+234 813 644 4218
