Glen Kamara will be a cheaper alternative to Brighton's Yves Bissouma for Aston Villa, but Rangers are under no pressure to sell, says journalist Pete O'Rourke.
Both players have been linked with a move to Villa Park, though getting the latter out of his current club this month looks like an extremely difficult task.
What is the latest news involving Bissouma and Kamara?
According to Sky Sports, Villa are interested in signing Bissouma, with manager Steven Gerrard looking to build on what has already been an impressive transfer window so far.
Villa added Philippe Coutinho, who has made an instant impact at the club after netting against Manchester United on his debut, to their squad before buying left-back Lucas Digne from Everton in a £25m deal.
Signing Bissouma, however, may prove much more difficult, as Graham Potter has warned that Brighton do not need to sell in this transfer window.
As for Kamara, 90min recently claimed that Villa are also interested in the 40-cap Finland international but face competition from Arsenal.
What has O'Rourke said about Bissouma and Kamara?
O'Rourke has told GIVEMESPORT that Kamara would be a cheaper alternative to Bissouma for Villa. However, the transfer insider is convinced Rangers are not in a position where they have to sell their midfielder.
Speaking to GMS, O'Rourke said: "Glen Kamara at Rangers will probably be a cheaper alternative, but Rangers are under no real pressure to sell now after bagging that money for Nathan Patterson from Everton."
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Should Villa go for Kamara?
Kamara certainly looks like he could be a good option for Villa. Gerrard obviously knows the 26-year-old well from their time at Rangers together and, as O'Rourke highlighted, he probably is not going to cost as much as Bissouma.
However, if there is a chance to land the latter, then that has to be Villa's priority.
Bissouma has not disappointed in a Brighton shirt, posting some very impressive stats last season. As per WhoScored, the 25-year-old averaged 2.9 tackles per game in the Premier League, which was the best average in Potter's squad (minimum of five games played).
He averaged 1.8 interceptions, too, which was also more than any other Brighton player. Ultimately, Bissouma is an individual that would add a lot of steel to this Villa side.
The above is not to say that Kamara would not, but the level that Bissouma has been playing at in the Premier League just makes the Mali international a no-brainer if he is available. Whatever the case, it seems like Villa will try their best to add at least one midfielder to their squad before the transfer window closes.