According to famed journalist Fabrizio Romano, Liverpool are not working on signing Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma.
What’s the latest transfer news involving Yves Bissouma?
As reported by Anfield Central, Bissouma has been vetted by Liverpool and the Reds were set to hold talks with his agent over a potential move to Anfield.
The report suggested that Liverpool will have to pay a fee in the region of £40m for Brighton's dynamic midfielder, but the Merseyside outfit are sceptical of spending such a high figure.
This Liverpool fan on The Football Terrace is loving the latest Reds transfer update!
What has Fabrizio Romano said about Bissouma?
Speaking on the Here We Go podcast, Romano claimed that Arsenal are one of the Premier League sides targeting the Malian powerhouse.
Romano said, “First of all there are a lot of rumours about Bissouma. Just to clarify, Bissouma is a fantastic player for Brighton, he is one of the players on the list for Arsenal."
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The journalist also suggested that despite Liverpool scouting Bissouma, the Reds are not working towards signing him.
"And talking about Liverpool, they were scouting him because they consider him an interesting player for the future. But there are no bids, no negotiations from Liverpool and so at the moment he is not the main target," said Romano.
"They are not working to sign Bissouma. Scouting a player is one thing, signing a player is another thing."
How has Bissouma performed for Brighton this season?
Bissouma has been a dominant presence for the Seagulls this season and despite a lack of goal contributions, his defensive work has been essential to Graham Potter's side.
The Mali international has averaged the most tackles and interceptions per game of any Brighton player in the 2020/21 Premier League campaign with 2.9 and 1.8 respectively.
WhoScored have recognised him as the club's second best performer this term with a rating of 6.98, behind Solly March.
Are Liverpool making a mistake in not pursuing Bissouma?
Liverpool could find themselves in the market for a midfielder as Gini Wijnaldum is set to leave the club for Barcelona.
The Merseyside club have been linked with Rodrigo De Paul from Udinese, however they may be better off going for Bissouma. The 24-year-old is Premier League proven and would need less time to acclimatise to the division's demands than De Paul.
If Liverpool do indeed decide against signing the Brighton man, he may offer the likes of Arsenal his best years which could come back to bite the Reds in the future.