Former Liverpool and England centre-back Jamie Carragher is tipping Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Yves Bissouma to be the subject of a bidding war this summer.
The Sky Sports pundit made the claim after the Seagulls played played out a goalless draw with Everton at the AMEX Stadium on Monday evening.
Bissouma delivered a Man of the Match performance in the Brighton engine room to help Graham Potter’s side add another point to their tally in their fight to avoid relegation from the Premier League this summer.
But whether the Seagulls avoid the drop or suffer the heartache of relegation to the second-tier, Carragher is anticipating a whole host of clubs to get themselves into a bit of a fight when it comes to trying to sign him this summer.
“The biggest talking point or bright spark from the game was the performance of Bissouma, who was the Man of the Match but not just the best player on the pitch, the best player by a mile on the pitch, he really was,” Carragher told Sky Sports.
“You looked at him and he really does look like a top-quality player.
“He was excellent at Old Trafford [against Manchester United] for Brighton and he just looked head and shoulders above everyone on the pitch [versus Everton].
“He’s been someone a lot of teams have talked about or looked at. I don’t think teams will be looking at him, I think they will be bidding for him at the end of the season.
“His contract has got a couple of years to go. I know Brighton fans will be watching and saying, ‘Why are you trying to sell one of our players?’
“He’s got a couple of years to go [on his contract]. You’re at that stage where you either sign a new contract or Brighton get top dollar for him, and I think you would get top dollar for him, that is the model.”
Carragher’s assessment of Bissouma will be music to the ears of Arsenal supporters, some of whom have been urging the Gunners to pursue a move for him this summer in a bid to bolster the club’s defensive-midfield ranks and complement Thomas Partey’s qualities in the engine room.
As reported by football.london back in January , the former Lille ace is on Arsenal’s radar and they are keeping a close eye on him ahead of this summer.
It is understood that the midfielder ‘loves the Premier League’ and would be open to joining Arsenal if they came calling for his signature, with a close friend of Bissouma telling football.london that he would choose the Gunners over any other club if a battle for his signature engulfed.
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Another advantage that Arsenal may have in the battle to sign the midfielder is that he remains in close contact with Gunners duo Gabriel Magalhaes and Nicolas Pepe after they played together at Lille.
When football.london broke this story back in January, it was always more likely that the Gunners would pursue a move for the 24-year-old this summer opposed to the winter window.
Bissouma has been a mainstay in Graham Potter’s team this season, racking up 31 appearances for the Seagulls in all competitions, chipping in with two goals.