Tottenham have reportedly begun talks with Brighton over the signing of Yves Bissouma, although the two clubs disagree about his transfer value.
Bissouma has proven himself to be a top performer in the Premier League since joining Brighton from Lille in July 2018. The central midfielder provides bags of energy and is excelling under the guidance of Graham Potter.
His top displays have led to interest from Tottenham, Liverpool, Arsenal and Aston Villa.
In the January window, it was Villa pushing the most to land Bissouma. But a deal didn’t materialise, meaning the 25-year-old spent the remainder of the season at the Amex.
A Brighton exit is now back on the cards, according to the Daily Mail. They claim Tottenham have started negotiations with the Seagulls over Bissouma’s capture.
Spurs director of football Fabio Paratici will be at the forefront of the discussions. He wants to take Bissouma to north London to bolster Antonio Conte’s midfield options, which already includes the likes of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur.
And Paratici has money to spend. Spurs’ only new arrivals so far have been Ivan Perisic and Fraser Forster, both on free transfers.
Bissouma’s Brighton contract expires in June 2023 and there is unlikely to be an extension. He will know he has the ability to make it at a bigger club and could therefore push for a move.
Contract stance sees Yves Bissouma price tag fall
Due to the 25-year-old’s contract situation, Brighton cannot demand £50million for him, like they were previously.
Instead, they want around £30m to sanction a summer exit, as per the Daily Mail.
However, Spurs don’t want to pay this amount, which means the two Premier League sides are immediately at a disagreement.
Negotiations will be required in the next few days and weeks to find a solution. They will likely meet somewhere in the middle of the two teams’ valuations.
Ben White’s £50m transfer to Arsenal last summer shows Brighton are willing to sell, as long as they find the price suitable.
Dan Burn left the south coast outfit in January too, as Newcastle paid £13m for the centre-back. But this transfer was largely down to Burn wanting to represent his boyhood club.
Bissouma joining Spurs would be a sensible move. Conte needs reinforcements if his team is to compete with Champions League clubs next term, and Bissouma is a quality option.
Spurs should be able to talk Brighton down from their £30m asking price and will probably agree a deal at £20m or £25m.
But that will only happen if the other interested clubs, such as Arsenal and Villa, stay out of proceedings. A bidding war would essentially ruin Spurs’ plans to sign Bissouma.
