Steven Gerrard has admitted that Aston Villa had a bid ‘turned away’ by Brighton for long-time Arsenal target, Yves Bissouma, as quoted by the Telegraph.
The Aston Villa boss shared that ‘we respected and appreciated’ Brighton’s response, but made it clear that they won’t become ‘desperate’ in their pursuit for the 25-year-old.
Arsenal have been long-admirers of the hard-hitting midfielder, with suggestions back in the summer that he wanted to join the north London club.
And, during the January transfer window, that interest didn’t subsidize, with Sky Sports claiming that the Mali man is willing to wait until the summer of 2022 to leave.
Nonetheless, this is what Gerrard had to say about Bissouma and Villa’s stance on the player.
“It was well documented that we put in a bid for Bissouma at Brighton,” said Gerrard. “Which was turned away, and we respected and appreciated that.
“If a move is not right then we will not become desperate and make decisions that we do not think is right.
“If it’s not right at the time we might have to be patient in a few situations.”
If Arsenal can secure Champions League football, then it would seriously enhance their chances of signing the defensive ball-carrier.
Of course, Villa won’t be getting that this season, so, from that aspect, they are on the back foot.
But it will be interesting to see, with Bissouma in the final 18 months of his contract, who is willing to throw serious money at him.
At the end of the day, if any club in the Champions League does that, then the answer is probably there for all to see.
If not, then things might just become interesting during the next transfer window, but either way, Bissouma is a player to watch out for.
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