Yves Bissouma is open to joining Arsenal as Mikel Arteta eyes a move to sign the Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder this winter, according to reports via the Daily Mail.
Arteta has steadied the ship at Arsenal in recent weeks following a disastrous start to the season but with the club still languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League table, the Spanish coach knows he needs to strengthen during the January window.
The Gunners have been tipped to sign a creative player with Norwich City’s Emi Buendia strongly linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium but Arteta is also expected to target another central midfielder this month.
Thomas Partey has endured a disappointing time since arriving from Atletico Madrid as he’s been sidelined by various injury issues while Matteo Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira left Arsenal on loan deals in the summer.
It’s left Arteta short of options in the middle of the park and it seems the Arsenal boss wants to bring in competition for the likes of Granit Xhaka, Mohamed Elneny and Dani Ceballos for the second half of the campaign.
The Daily Mail claims that Arsenal have identified Bissouma as a prime target and they cite a report from Football London that suggests the Brighton star would be keen on a move to north London if a deal could be agreed.
The report says Bissouma is an Arsenal fan and would jump at the chance of sealing a move to his boyhood club this month where he’d link up with Gabriel Magalhaes again following their time together at Lille.
Bissouma has forged a reputation as one of the best all-round midfielders in the Premier League since joining Brighton for £15m in 2018 so he’d be an excellent addition to Arteta’s squad if a deal could be agreed between the two clubs.
However, Brighton are under no pressure to sell as the 24-year-old is under contract at the Amex Stadium until 2023 so Arsenal would have to table an offer they can’t refuse if they want to persuade the south coasters to cash-in.
We’ll have to wait and see how things develop over the coming weeks but I think Bissouma would be a superb signing and he could be the ideal partner for Partey in the Arsenal midfield over the next few years.
