The Brighton head coach used his pre-match press conference to speak directly at his own player, an unusually public appeal from a manager whose winger’s departure is already halfway arranged.

“If you ask me if I’ll try to convince him to stay, yes, I try to convince him to stay. But can I control everything? No,” Hürzeler told reporters.

“From my perspective, Minteh, he’s a Brighton player; he needs to commit to this club.”

The plea lands at an awkward moment. Fabrizio Romano reported earlier this week that Minteh has agreed a five-year contract with Liverpool and wants the move. What is missing is a fee acceptable to Brighton. Liverpool’s opening bid of £50m was turned down, a second worth £60m was rejected, and Brighton are holding out for around £80m, according to Goal. A third bid is expected before deadline day.

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“It’s difficult to find a similar environment”

Hürzeler’s argument to his player is less about money than about the dressing room around him.

“He benefits, for example, from the hard work of Pascal [Gross], hard work from Jack Hinshelwood, hard work from all the other players,” the head coach said, per Football365.

“It’s difficult to find a similar environment, or better environment, for potential young players.”

That last line reads as a direct message: Anfield is not the automatic upgrade the winger’s camp appears to believe it is. Hürzeler signed a contract extension in May that keeps him at the Amex until 2029, and he is trying to protect a squad he has spent a year shaping.

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An injured asset

Complicating the picture, Minteh is not physically available to either side. He had ankle surgery earlier in August after picking up an injury in a pre-season friendly against AS Roma, and is expected to be sidelined for two to three months, Goal reports. Brighton would therefore be selling a winger who could not have played for them for weeks anyway, an argument Liverpool are unlikely to concede on price.

Hürzeler acknowledged the medical situation without softening his line.

“We know that he has an issue with his ankle. We have to see how the next weeks are going, how this will develop because, of course, he is an important player for us.”

Deadline pressure on both sides

The Premier League summer window closes at 11pm BST on Tuesday, 1 September, confirmed by Sky Sports. That leaves both clubs a handful of days to close a compromise or walk away.

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Liverpool’s Minteh pursuit runs alongside a parallel move for Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola, reported at a potential £130m. If Barcola arrives, Brighton’s leverage on Minteh drops.

Brighton have set the price at around £80m and Liverpool’s highest offer to date is £60m. Minteh, out for another two to three months, will not play for either side before the window shuts.

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