Manchester United told to hijack Aston Villa transfer despite Steven Gerrard's bullish stance

Ex-Manchester United midfielder Paul Ince has urged his former club to compete for the signing of Brighton's Yves Bissouma this summer.

The Mali international is reportedly of interest to a number of Premier League clubs including Aston Villa and Newcastle United.

Reports claim that Villa saw a January transfer bid rejected by Brighton for their prized midfielder, but with his contract running down this summer, it is likely he will leave the south coast at the end of the season.

Villa look set to revisit the transfer when the summer transfer window opens in July as Steven Gerrard admitted he will be patient to land his top targets.

“I won’t be a manager who will try to be wasteful or compromise in certain situations and go down the list because I believe our fans and this club deserves the right people in the right positions," he said earlier this month.

"If that’s the case and we have to be patient then we’ll do it.

“The support I’ve had during the first window and since I walked in the door has been brilliant and I really appreciate that. We will keep analysing the squad and if we feel we need support in that area we’ll look for the right target.

“We won’t compromise and try to find Plan B, C, D or E. We’ll keep pushing and try to get the right person.”

But Villa won't be the only club looking to negotiate a deal to land Bissouma. Man United have been strongly linked with an interest too, and Ince believes the Brighton star could be a cheaper alternative to Declan Rice.

"You have to look at United’s recruitment," he told Genting Casino.

"They didn’t know about Bissouma, now he’s at Brighton and might cost £40m. They didn’t know about [N’Golo] Kante, now he’s at Chelsea.

"All these players have been about but why