Arsenal will have to pay £40m if they want to snap up Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma this summer, according to The Athletic.

Seagulls’ owner Tony Bloom is not willing to sell the Malian international for below that amount and it could scupper the Gunners’ plans to sign the player.

Reports in January claimed that Bissouma would favour a move to the Emirates, with Arsenal having already enquired about the 24-year-old’s availability with his agent Michael N’Cho.

The Athletic do, though, say that Liverpool, Manchester United, Leicester, Real Madrid and Monaco are also in the running for the midfielder, so the Gunners could still be beaten to his signature if they can’t come up with the funds.

Bissouma would be an excellent foil for Thomas Partey in the middle of the pitch. He is hard to dispossess and carries the ball forward well, much like his Ghanaian counterpart. It will be interesting to see, though, whether Arsenal prioritise his signing or go after a no.10 like Martin Odegaard.