Aston Villa have 'moved on' from from former top transfer target as final decision made

Aston Villa have reportedly ‘moved on’ from their pursuit of Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma.

Steven Gerrard’s side have already been busy in the transfer market, having signed Sevilla centre-back Diego Carlos, as well as making both Philippe Coutinho and Robin Olsen’s loan spells permanent. Holding midfielder Boubacar Kamara has also been snapped up from Marseille but the Villa boss has still been touted to further strengthen his midfield options.

Brighton’s Bissouma has been consistently linked with a move to Villa Park, with the club even having an offer turned down for the Mali international in January. With the 25-year-old having 12 months remaining on his contract, the Seagulls are expected to cash in on the midfielder this summer.

However, Gregg Evans of The Athletic has stated on Twitter that Bissouma is ‘no longer on the list’ for Villa. Though it is suggested that Steven Gerrard may still attempt to sign another midfielder, the club are also claimed to be ‘unlikely’ to be making moves for a further centre-back.

Bissouma has reportedly attracted interest from both Arsenal and Monaco and could leave Brighton for under £30million. The midfielder even hinted about a possible move to the Gunners through his posts on social media on Monday.

Villa had been keen to test Brighton's resolve in January but Graham Potter’s side held out for more than £40million, with the club not willing to overpay for Bissouma. After the transfer window had concluded, Steven Gerrard admitted that he had hoped to add the Brighton talisman to his side.

“Incomings, the window was extremely strong. There were areas that we needed to find solutions for us to be stronger and better,” he said . “We got 90/95% of business