Garth Crooks has raved about reported Liverpool target and Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Yves Bissouma on BBC Sport.
The former Tottenham Hotspur forward has included Bissouma in his Premier League Team of the Week for BBC Sport for his performance for Brighton against Watford in the Premier League this past weekend.
The BBC pundit has also said that the 24-year-old will cost over £25 million now.
Liverpool interest
Liverpool are among the clubs linked with the Mali international midfielder.
The Times reported in May that Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has personally scouted Bissouma, who has told Brighton that he wants to leave and is valued at £30 million by the Seagulls.
Arsenal, Manchester City and Marseille are also interested in the midfielder.
Garth Crooks’s verdict
Crooks wrote about Bissouma on BBC Sport: “I’ve had my eye on him for some time now and with every touch of the ball he seems to get better. I dare say he might have made my team of the week on more occasions had he been playing for a more fashionable side.
“Brighton played some good football and so did Watford. However, the best player on the pitch was without doubt Bissouma. He’s 24, box to box, makes excellent interceptions and can see a pass.
“He came to Brighton for an undisclosed fee which normally means he cost buttons. If he’s not worth upwards of £25m in the current market, I’ll eat my hat. Brighton will do well to hold on to him.”
Should Liverpool make a move?
According to the report in The Times, Liverpool manager Klopp is clearly a fan.
A transfer fee of £30 million is not really much, especially for a player who is 24 and has had three seasons in the Premier League.
Moreover, the midfielder reportedly wants to leave Brighton.
Georginio Wijnaldum left Liverpool at the end of the season, and there is space in Klopp’s midfield now.
Now, of course, winger Harvey Elliott can play in midfield, but he is very young and is still learning his trade.
Bissouma is older, more mature and more experienced, and he would be able to do the box-to-box role in the Liverpool midfield perfectly.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
