The Mali midfielder's future will become clearer when he returns to the UK from the Africa Cup of Nations later this month, and he has been tracked by bigger clubs than Villa from the Premier League and abroad
Thursday 13 January 2022 21:50, UK
Yves Bissouma is in no rush to leave Brighton this month amid interest from Aston Villa - and manager Graham Potter is "confident" he will stay.
The Mali midfielder's future will become clearer when he returns to the UK from the Africa Cup of Nations later this month, and he has been tracked by bigger clubs than Villa from the Premier League and abroad.
Bissouma may therefore wait until the summer to see what further options emerge, with Manchester United, Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham all looking for players of his profile.
Should Villa match Brighton's valuation this month, which could be north of £40m and as much as £50m, then Bissouma will likely consider playing for Steven Gerrard and his ambitious club.
But for the time being, Bissouma remains fully concentrated on AFCON, where he is playing for Mali until at least January 20.
Bissouma came off the bench during Wednesday's extraordinary game against Tunisia, which saw the final moments played after the post-match interviews and without a furious Tunisia side, after the referee blew full-time before 90 minutes were up.
Ahead of Brighton's next game against Crystal Palace, live on Sky Sports Friday Night Football, manager Potter said: "I'm confident [of keeping Bissouma].
"I think Yves is enjoying his football here but with the transfer window, you never know. You always plan for something you can't necessarily foresee. We're in a good place. We'll see."
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