Newcastle United did not include any sell-on clause when Yankuba Minteh transferred to Brighton and Hove Albion, meaning the club will not benefit financially from Liverpool’s rejected £50million offer for the Gambian wide player.
The Merseyside club had their approach turned down by Brighton for the 22-year-old, who departed St James’ Park in 2024 as the Magpies scrambled to comply with the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Regulations.
Brighton paid £30million to acquire Minteh after a last-minute agreement was reached between the two clubs as Newcastle sought to avoid severe punishment from the league, with Elliot Anderson moving in the opposite direction to Nottingham Forest.
According to reports from 2025, Newcastle, under considerable financial pressure, were in a weak negotiating position and could not secure protective clauses such as buyback options in the deals.
This decision has already proven costly for Newcastle this summer following Anderson’s subsequent £116million transfer from Forest to Manchester City, denying the club a significant windfall.
Liverpool have been actively seeking attacking reinforcements and submitted their bid for Minteh, who is reportedly interested in moving to Anfield should the two clubs reach an agreement. However, any potential deal would not advantage Newcastle due to the absence of a sell-on or percentage-of-next-sale provision.
Despite spending time at Newcastle’s academy, Minteh failed to make a first-team appearance before his departure. His former club Odense received a seven-figure sum from the £30million sale.
Eddie Howe, who was Newcastle’s manager during the transfer, expressed reservations about the circumstances surrounding the sales.
He indicated that he felt uneasy about being compelled to sell two promising young players in Anderson and Minteh against the club’s wishes for financial reasons. He noted that one player had been with the club since joining as a child and questioned why such sales were necessary, feeling the situation was wrong.
He acknowledged understanding the regulations to some extent and recognising their purpose, but suggested the current implementation was flawed. While player trading had historically benefited the sport by adding interest and value, he felt the current system had become counterproductive to its original intent.