According to several sources, West Ham manager David Moyes has passed up on the opportunity to sign Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma during this summer’s transfer window.
West Ham insider @ExWHUemployee reported last week that the 25-year-old midfielder, who has been rumoured as a potential transfer target for the Hammers, was passed up by Moyes recently as someone who could sign for the club.
The Mali international was supposedly offered for around £25 million this summer, and has played a key role in the Brighton squad since signing from Lille in 2018.
Now, according to BBC Sport, London rivals Tottenham Hotspur have agreed a deal to sign him for a similar price, as he looks to make the switch to Antonio Conte’s side.
This could potentially be a big miss for the Hammers, who could well have missed out on a top signing for a reasonable price to kick start their transfer window.
Bissouma, who operates as a strong, holding midfielder in a resilient Brighton side under Graham Potter, could have paired well alongside Declan Rice to form a solid partnership in the middle of the pitch.
The Hammers have been looking for a midfielder in the transfer market following the retirement of club legend Mark Noble and the expiration of Alex Kral’s season-long loan deal.
Bissouma’s tackling and defensive skills as well as his technical ability has established him as one of the most sought-after players over the past few years.
His 2.6 tackles and 1.7 interceptions per game in all competitions is evidence of that, despite not starting every game for the Seagulls this season.
However, it now looks like West Ham will have to miss out on signing him for the upcoming campaign.
There are increasingly growing frustrations amongst Hammers supporters this month, because of the club’s lack of activity in the transfer window, despite it only being officially open for less than a week.
Now, the Hammers need to make up for missing out on Bissouma, who could flourish at Spurs if he ends up signing for them this summer, by signing a better replacement before the end of the window.
