The intriguing £40m Newcastle United raid that Liverpool should reconsider this summer

You would be forgiven for having forgotten about Yankuba Minteh. The 19-year-old winger joined Newcastle United from Danish outfit Odense for a fee of around £7 million last summer, and since then, has been squirrelling away in the Eredivisie with Feyenoord as part of a broadly successful loan stint.

Over the course of 27 top flight outings in the Netherlands, Minteh registered 10 goals and six assists, tormenting full-backs with his ferocious pace and generally making a good impression on those fortunate enough to witness his rapid progression. Indeed, few were treated to a better vantage point than newly-appointed Liverpool manager Arne Slot, who, of course, has only just left Feyenoord.

And it is on the basis of this connection, you would assume, that the Telegraph dropped a report last week suggesting that the Reds could enact a summer swoop for Minteh. As per that update, Liverpool have ‘expressed an interest’ in signing the Gambian international, and are one of several sides monitoring his situation. Alongside Slot’s men, the Telegraph claims that clubs in Italy and Germany are also keen, and that Newcastle are ‘reluctantly considering accepting bids of around £40 million’.

Much has been made of the Magpies’ need to balance their books this summer, and the understanding is that Minteh could be used as a means of raising funds - especially considering the lack of game time he may be afforded at St. James’ Park next term following Newcastle’s failure to qualify for European football.

Or, at least, that was the understanding. Since the Telegraph published their report, Ian Doyle, chief Liverpool writer at local outlet The Echo, has moved to dispel these rumours a little. According to the trusted journalist: ‘The Reds, while looking to sign a wide player during the forthcoming transfer window, have no current interest in making a move for Minteh despite Slot's admiration of the teenager.’

Perhaps, then, we should all calm down a little. But just because Liverpool currently hold no interest in signing Minteh does not mean things cannot change. As the summer progresses and other targets fall by the wayside, plans change, and the Reds could, in truth, do far worse than making a bid for the exciting young attacker over the coming weeks.

While he is by no means the finished article, there is no denying that Minteh is a special talent, and one with a dizzyingly high ceiling of potential. The fact that Slot knows him works in his favour too, of course, but even if the Dutch manager had never worked with him before, there would be reasons to consider a bid; his goal return is very good for a player so young, and his ability on the ball is particularly precocious.

This could be a prospective deal that benefits Newcastle too. If sales are needed, who better to offload than a talent who they have managed just fine without, and who they would presumably not miss in the slightest? Surely, it has to be a more preferable option than cashing in on a Bruno Guimaraes or an Alexander Isak.

As things stand, then, there is nothing to see here. But maybe, just maybe, Liverpool should reconsider their stance over their interest, or lack thereof, in Minteh.