Tottenham Hotspur have reached an agreement with Brighton and Hove Albion over the proposed transfer of midfielder Yves Bissouma, according to a number of reports across the media in England. Having booked a place in next season’s Champions League after a last-gasp struggle against arch-rivals Arsenal, Spurs will be paying a fee of £25 million for the services of the 18-cap Mali international.
Bissouma played for JMG Bamako and AS Real Bamako in his homeland at the start of his career. He moved to Europe to join LOSC Lille in the summer of 2016 and two years later, he made his way to Brighton for a reported fee of around £15 million. Since then, he’s made a total of 124 appearances in all competitions for the Seagulls, scoring six goals and providing three assists. His attacking numbers understandably aren’t impressive, but Bissouma is rated very highly for the defensive side of his game – his ability to read and break up opposition play and win possession for his team.
Manchester United and Arsenal were both said to be closely monitoring the situation of the player whose contract was about to enter its final 12 months as they both seek the right man to provide protection for their respective back lines. Aston Villa went further than that and submitted an actual bid for his services in January, only to see it turned down by Brighton.
Nonetheless, Bissouma is now set to become the third arrival of the summer for Spurs, who’ve already signed goalkeeper Fraser Forster and wing-back Ivan Perisic.
