Sevilla ace Yassine ‘Bono’ Bounou has confirmed he held talks with possible suitors about a transfer in January. But the Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United target chose to stay.
Los Nervionenses gave the goalkeeper permission to secure a move away from the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium this winter. But Bono did not feel it was the right moment to seek a new challenge. Instead, he wants to help the Andalusian outfit revive their La Liga season.
Bono captivated potential suitors with his performances for Morocco at the World Cup. He helped the Atlas Lions become the first African nation to reach the semi-finals. The 52-cap star started six of their ties, kept three clean sheets and thrived in the shootout with Spain.
Tottenham bid for Bono in January after West Ham eyed his transfer
West Ham had already cast their eyes on a transfer for Bono following his performances at Sevilla. La Razon reported in September that David Moyes admires the Quebec native. The Hammers boss sees him as a possible No1. But Bono has a €50m (£44.5m) release clause.
Los Nervionenses would have taken less to sell him this January as Vamos Mi Sevilla cited a €30m (£26.5m) valuation. Yet Tottenham still eyed a cut-price transfer with AS reporting they offered Sevilla in excess of €20m (£17m) for Bono. They bid low as he will turn 32 this April.
Sevilla rejected Tottenham’s transfer bid as sporting director Monchi is confident Bono will merit larger offers in the summer. As well as Spurs and West Ham, his performances at the World Cup and in La Liga have enthralled Aston Villa and Wolves, Vamos Mi Sevilla added.
Bono confirms he rejected offers to leave Sevilla in the mid-season sales
Bono has started in 19 La Liga fixtures so far this season as Sevilla sit only 12th in the table. He has also kept five clean sheets to 26 goals conceded after recording a shut-out against Mallorca on Saturday. The 2-0 result returned Sevilla’s sixth win of the season in 21 games.
Now, helping Sevilla restore their status helped convince Bono to reject a transfer to West Ham and Tottenham et al. But if a club makes Los Nervionenses an offer that Monchi finds acceptable, the Canada-born goalkeeper under contract until 2025 would then reconsider.
“There were talks with some teams,” Bounou told PTV Sevilla, via quotes by AS. “But with my representative, I didn’t feel like it was the time to go tell Monchi that I need to leave, look for the possibility, talk to my agent… I didn’t feel it.
“Because of the situation, first, where we were, I didn’t feel like going out at a time like this. I don’t like to force things, either. If someone comes [with a bid] that Sevilla is happy with, it’s another situation.
“But for me to go? No, no. I am happy here. I feel that the best footballers are the ones who respond to the needs of the place where they are hired before personal needs.”
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