Medical booked: Brighton 'agree' club-record deal to sign Premier League attacker

Brighton & Hove Albion have reportedly reached an agreement with Newcastle United to sign teenage attacker Yankuba Minteh.

The 19-year-old scored four goals and provided six assists in 17 appearances for Danish outfit Odense before he completed a £6.5m transfer to Newcastle last summer.

Minteh was then immediately loaned out to Dutch giants Feyenoord and gained valuable first-team experience in a side that finished second in the Eredivisie in 2023-24.

The versatile attacker, primarily a right-winger who can also operate on the left or as a striker, scored 11 goals and registered six assists in 37 matches for Feyenoord across all competitions.

Minteh's form in the Netherlands is understood to have caught the eye of a number of clubs in England and abroad, with Liverpool - now managed by ex-Feyenoord boss Arne Slot - Everton, Borussia Dortmund, Lyon and Marseille among those said to hold an interest.

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Minteh to undergo Brighton medical ahead of club-record move

However, Brighton seem to have won the race for his signature, as The Athletic reports that the Seagulls have agreed a fee in the region of £33m to sign the attacker from Newcastle.

The report adds that the Magpies have given Minteh permission to discuss personal terms with Brighton, and those talks were held on Saturday evening.

Minteh is said to have flown to the United Kingdom from his native Gambia and is preparing to undergo a medical ahead of completing his switch to the Amex Stadium.

Brighton's purchase of Minteh will set a new club record, eclipsing the £30m that they forked out to recruit forward Joao Pedro from Watford last summer.

Minteh is set to become Brighton's first signing under new head coach Fabian Hurzeler and the club's second of the summer transfer window after 19-year-old Ibrahim Osman, whose switch to the Seagulls from Nordsjaelland was confirmed in February.

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Why are Newcastle looking to sell Minteh?

Many Newcastle supporters were excited by the prospect of seeing Minteh return to Newcastle and potentially work his way into Eddie Howe's first-team plans following a productive spell at Feyenoord.

However, Minteh is set to leave Newcastle without kicking a ball for the club, with the Magpies reluctantly seeking to sell the youngster in order to avoid breaching the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability rules.

Newcastle are aware that they are at risk of a possible points deduction for next season if they fail to balance their book and make sufficient sales before the June 30 deadline.

Minteh has expressed his desire to play in the Premier League and was the subject of a proposed transfer to Everton earlier this month, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin potentially heading in the opposite direction.

However, negotiations between both clubs broke down and Newcastle have since moved quickly to strike a deal with Brighton to sell the attacker, with the Magpies due to make in excess of £25m profit.

Meanwhile, Newcastle have reportedly reached an agreement with Nottingham Forest to sell 21-year-old midfielder Elliot Anderson.

Written by
Oliver Thomas