According to Express & Star, Yves Bissouma was among the top targets of Aston Villa in the January transfer window. However, Brighton were not willing to listen to offers below £50 million. Villa felt that it was too high considering the other recruitments they had to do in January. Aston Villa will try again to sign the Mali international in the summer.
Villa will make an offer in the summer as Bissouma will then have only one year to play at Brighton. Gerrard needed to strengthen his midfield while injecting some energy. Nakamba will not be available till April as he has undergone knee surgery. The original plan was to bring Bissouma in January but Villa are not giving up in their pursuit for the Brighton star.
Aston Villa also wanted to sign Rodrigo Bentancur from Juventus however, he ended up joining Tottenham Hotspur. The Claret and Blue had a bid rejected for Bissouma from the Seagulls which was in the region of £25 million. Villa tried to reignite their interest in the Mali international on the deadline day but that was not enough.
Brighton’s ask for Yves Bissouma was even high for the recently Saudi-backed Newcastle United. They signed Bruno Guimaraes from Lyon for a £35 million deal instead. Brighton will not want to lose out on their star player easily and would want to get the maximum value possible for their prospect.
What can Yves Bissouma bring at Aston Villa?
Steven Gerrard wanted Bissouma’s physicality in his midfield and the presence he brings with him. He is a strong player who likes to engage in duels and is great at tackling and ball-winning. Aston Villa does have good players in that position but Bissouma is a different type of player than what they already have.
Bissouma makes 2.8 tackles, 1.6 interceptions while clearing the ball 1.4 times per game. He also attempts 1.8 long balls per game and has a passing success percentage of 88.3% (stats via whoscored). His excellent ability to break the play can profit Aston Villa to play against bigger teams and hurt them on the counter.
Aston Villa will want to compete in Europe and need to finish in the top six of the Premier League. They will need good squad depth and an excellent first team in order to achieve that. Steven Gerrard has improved and recruited fine players to help him to achieve his goals. If they sign Bissouma then their aim should be finding a place in the top six for the next season.
Aston Villa gets good protection for their already strong defense. Moreover, Gerrard can also teach him a few extra things being a legend of a midfielder himself. However, Villa will face strong competition from big clubs like Manchester United to sign the Mali international. Nevertheless, Villa can try to offer the requirements needed by Brighton in order to complete the signing.
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