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Man Utd's stance on Yves Bissouma transfer as Arsenal prioritise Youri Tielemans deal
MANCHESTER UNITED and Arsenal have been linked with Yves Bissouma.
Mikel Arteta on summer transfer plans
Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma has been linked with both Manchester United and Arsenal as the Premier League giants seek midfield reinforcements this summer. However both clubs appear to be prioritising other options according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
In his CaughtOffside column, Romano said: “There was much talk about Yves Bissouma a few months ago, but it’s gone a little quiet recently, and it seems a move to Aston Villa is now not happening.
“Still, his agent has had conversations with many top clubs in recent times, but so far Brighton want to wait for a sale: the price for Bissouma has always been close to €40/45million (£34.3m/38.5m).
“Arsenal have been following him for months but the priority is to understand if they can complete the Youri Tielemans deal, while Manchester United have yet to decide who will be the final priority target of the midfield. As I’ve written before, it could be more likely that they pursue Frenkie de Jong, but there are challenges with that deal.
“For that kind of price, Bissouma looks like a good piece of business for many Premier League clubs, in my opinion, so let’s see what happens later in the summer.”
Bissouma has been a mainstay in the Brighton midfield since he joined the Seagulls from Lille in 2018. The 25-year-old has strongly been linked with a move to Aston Villa, but after Steven Gerrard’s side completed the free transfer of Boubacar Kamara from Marseille, a deal for Bissouma appears less likely.
The Mali international did hint on social media that his future was at the Emirates Stadium however, as he reposted clips from Arsenal fans claiming that Mikel Arteta should move for Bissouma.
Arsenal appear to be prioritising the signing of Tielemans from Leicester though, while they have also been linked with Manchester City’s Oleksandr Zinchenko as a midfield option alongside Thomas Partey.
Tielemans has admitted that he would be open to leaving the Foxes, with just a year left on his contract. "That [a move] is not out of the question," the 25-year-old admitted. “But I can also stay. I feel very good at Leicester, I was welcomed with open arms from day one. I give everything for the club until the last day.”
Manchester United, meanwhile, hope to reunite Frenkie de Jong with his former Ajax manager Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford. United have reportedly made their opening bid for the Dutch midfielder as Barcelona look to raise funds for their pursuit of Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski.
United's reported offer consists of a £51.2million fixed transfer fee, with the Red Devils also throwing in another £17m in performance-related add-ons.