Ray Parlour expressed his surprise at Tottenham supposedly paying ‘£25 million’ for Yves Bissouma and admitted that he wanted him at Arsenal, as he told talkSPORT.
The Arsenal legend added that the Brighton midfielder ‘must be in the final year of his contract’, as Tottenham are close to signing the 25-year-old.
Bissouma is a boyhood Gooner and he recently reposted messages on his Instagram from Arsenal fans wanting him to join the club.
But that matters very little now, as Spurs are closing in on securing their third signing of the summer transfer window, after the arrivals of Ivan Perisic and Fraser Forster.
Nonetheless, this is how former Highbury hero, Parlour, reacted to the rumours that Spurs are about to add Bissouma, who is indeed in the final year of his contract at the Amex, to their ranks.
“£25 million?!” said Parlour after the rumoured fee was read out to him. “He must be in the final year of his contract then.
“I said to Arsenal a long, long time ago to sign Bissouma.”
BISSOUMA SIGNING A STATEMENT OF INTENT FROM SPURS
Whoever Spurs sign from now until the end of the window, their possible capture of Bissouma might just be their best deal of the lot.
The Mali international has stood out like a sore thumb in a Brighton team that has punched above its weight under the stewardship of the forward-thinking, Graham Potter.
And now, if and when he seals the deal to Spurs, then come the first game of next season, he could argue that he should be starting their first game of the season.
In fact, despite the successes of Pierre Emile-Højbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur in the middle of the park, Bissouma is probably a better player than both.
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