According to Sky Sports, Aston Villa are interested in raiding Premier League rivals Brighton for Yves Bissouma, who’s also a target for Newcastle.
With the Malian currently away at the Africa Cup of Nations, Graham Potter has addressed the speculation surrounding his No.8.
What’s the story?
Well, Potter revealed he is “confident” of keeping Bissouma at the Amex Stadium, although he didn’t rule out a move completely.
As quoted by Sky Sports, the 46-year-old said: “I think Yves is enjoying his football here but with the transfer window, you never know. You always plan for something you can’t necessarily foresee. We’re in a good place. We’ll see.”
According to The Telegraph, Brighton value the 25-year-old at £40m.
Elsewhere, it was the Daily Mail who claimed that Newcastle are also interested in signing the former Lille midfielder.
Bissouma’s contract with the Seagulls runs until June 2023, and he has shown no indication that he’s going to sign an extension.
Therefore, Brighton could decide to sell their No.8 now before the contractual situation causes his value to decrease.
However, Sky Sports believe Bissouma could opt to wait until the summer to leave Brighton, with Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea and Liverpool all looking for players of his profile.
Newcastle and Aston Villa must act fast
As aforesaid, the Premier League’s biggest clubs could get involved in the race for Bissouma this summer, so Newcastle and Aston Villa would be wise to firm up their interest now.
After all, signing the 18-cap Mali international will become far more difficult when the likes of Manchester City can throw their riches at him.
Of course, £40m is no small fee, but a bidding war could commence in the summer taking that sum even higher, which is worth considering for Eddie Howe and Steven Gerrard.
With 100 Premier League appearances under his belt, Bissouma is an experienced Premier League player, who’s also right in the middle of his prime at 25 years of age.
Everything indicates he will settle quickly and have an immediate impact, which is all the more reason for the Magpies and the Villans to pursue a deal this month.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
