It's coming, Liverpool make massive bid to sign African star

Liverpool have made a bid to sign an African star.

Richard Hughes' time at Liverpool appears to be drawing to a close, with his expected move to Al Hilal bringing an end to a relatively short but eventful spell as sporting director.

Assessing his tenure is difficult because it has contained such contrasting periods. Liverpool have enjoyed significant success during his time at the club, but that has been accompanied by several transfer windows in which the recruitment process has appeared increasingly uncertain.

Hughes' first summer was defined by the failure to land Martin Zubimendi, while his third has followed a similar pattern after Yan Diomande opted for Real Madrid. His second window was considerably more productive, with Liverpool securing a number of their primary targets. However, the performances of several of those signings have yet to consistently match the level of investment involved.

That context has inevitably shaped the perception of Hughes as he approaches the end of his tenure.

The role of a sporting director is not simply to identify good players. It is to establish a coherent recruitment strategy, anticipate the needs of the squad and ensure there are credible alternatives when a preferred target becomes unavailable.

A well-functioning recruitment department should ideally be able to absorb setbacks without allowing them to derail the wider plan.

That is where Liverpool have appeared vulnerable.

The recent weeks of the transfer window have raised questions over whether the club has been able to move decisively enough once initial targets have fallen through. The prolonged pursuit of certain players, combined with a lack of obvious alternatives, has created the impression of a recruitment operation reacting to circumstances rather than controlling them.

That does not necessarily mean there is no strategy behind the scenes. Liverpool have invested heavily in recruitment and have clearly identified a number of long-term targets. However, the execution has increasingly become the issue.

For Hughes, that will ultimately form an important part of his legacy at Anfield.

A sporting director is judged not only on the players he signs, but on how effectively he builds a squad around the manager's requirements. With Andoni Iraola now needing specific additions to implement his approach, Liverpool cannot afford for uncertainty in the recruitment department to continue.

Hughes' tenure may be approaching its conclusion, but the decisions being made during these final weeks could have a significant impact on how his time at Liverpool is ultimately assessed.

With just about a week to go until the window shuts close, it's now imperative Liverpool get the last few days right and bring in the reinforcements that are needed.

Ultimately that is the be all and end all for Hughes.

And it looks like he is making attempts to salvage his legacy and to leave Anfield on a high.

We have been getting reports that Yankuba Minteh is a player Liverpool want to sign.

They have already had two bids rejected for The Gambian international, who is regarded as one of the brightest stars in African football right now.

Now, it looks like the third bid is happening too. According to Gambian journalist Foday Manneh, a third bid is going to be sent to Brighton.

This will be an 'improved and convincing offer' so likely more than the £60m that was rejected last week.

There's no denying that's a huge fee. But at this stage, Hughes desperately needs to get a transfer right, and Minteh makes a lot of sense.