Transfer insider Dean Jones insists that a deal for Aston Villa to sign Yves Bissouma from Brighton & Hove Albion is going to be difficult in the January window.
Steven Gerrard’s side have been aggressive throughout the month and have already secured the signing of Barcelona attacking midfielder Philippe Coutinho on loan.
What’s the latest with Bissouma?
He remains a key member of the Brighton squad under the management of Graham Potter, making 14 Premier League starts.
Bissouma is currently away with Mali at the African Cup of Nations but reports suggest that Villa could swoop as Gerrard looks to strengthen his squad for a top-10 push.
Villa have also been heavily linked with a potential move for Everton left-back Lucas Digne, in addition to the Coutinho deal, with Villa clearly eyeing an opportunity to strengthen while other clubs keep their powder dry.
A report from The Athletic, though, has suggested that Bissouma would cost around £50m in this window, given his importance to the Brighton squad and their ambitions this season.
They are said to be aware of interest in him and have subsequently placed an asking price on his head that may ward off potential suitors.
Bissouma does only have 18 months remaining on his current contract, though, so there could be an opportunity to convince Brighton to cash in.
They have done that previously, selling Ben White to Arsenal for a fee of £50m in the summer.
But Jones believes that Villa face a tough task in extricating Bissouma from the AMEX Stadium.
What has Jones said?
Speaking to GiveMeSport, the transfer insider said: "It's not an easy deal to get done in January and Brighton are quite stubborn about it as well because they value him so highly."
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Will Brighton let Bissouma go?
One has to think that the answer is no when it comes to Villa’s interest.
Brighton are actually ahead of Villa in the league, sitting in ninth, five points ahead of their 13th-placed rivals.
It is a different story if a club like Liverpool or Manchester City come knocking but the fact is, there is unlikely to be all that much pull for Bissouma to move to Villa in January.
As a result, the only chance Villa have is matching the asking Brighton have set, which would mean breaking the transfer record they set when they bought Emiliano Buendia from Norwich City in the summer, for a reported fee of £34.5m.
It just doesn’t look all that likely.