Newcastle United are reluctantly evaluating a number of proposals to transfer intriguing teenage winger Yankuba Minteh, who has had a good season on loan at Feyenoord.
Liverpool, now led by former Feyenoord manager Arne Slot, is believed to be one of several clubs interested in the 19-year-old.
Slot praised Minteh when they worked together last season and feels he has the potential to be one of Europe’s top young forwards.
However, Telegraph Sport understands that clubs in Italy and Germany have expressed a serious interest in the teenager, and Newcastle are now reluctantly contemplating proposals of approximately £40 million for the Gambia international.
Minteh, who was signed by Newcastle’s former director of football Dan Ashworth for just £6.5 million from Danish club Odense last summer, was scheduled to return to Tyneside for the start of pre-season in July. Newcastle boss Eddie Howe wants to take a closer look at a player who scored 10 goals and assisted five times in 27 games on loan in the Netherlands last season.
His popularity has grown throughout Europe, and Newcastle has been asked to set an asking price.
Newcastle would love to keep Minteh, but they know they must sell players this summer to comply with Premier League profit and sustainability criteria (PSR) and support their own recruitment efforts.
Howe has made signing a new right-sided forward one of his top priorities this summer, with West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen, Crystal Palace’s Michael Olise, and Atletico Madrid’s Nico Williams all featuring prominently in recruitment meetings – and the fact that Newcastle will not compete in any European competitions next season means Minteh’s game time will be limited if he stays.
As a result, Newcastle believes it is in the best interests of both the player and the club to at least consider offers for Minteh, considering the degree of interest expressed in him.
Selling a player who has yet to make a first-team appearance for the Magpies would make it much easier to keep key players such as Bruno Guimaraes and Alexander Isak.
The Newcastle leadership is being forced to make difficult decisions as a result of PSR, and while they believe Minteh has the potential to become a top player, he is a player for the future rather than the present, and he may be sold.
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