Brighton boss Graham Potter has not ruled out Yves Bissouma leaving the Seagulls during the January transfer window.

The Malian international has just eighteen months left on his contract at the Amex Stadium and, when asked to talk about the player’s future, Potter said he accepted that it may not be possible to keep hold of the 25-year-old:

“The contract is something between the player and the club. We are comfortable with where we are at, we know the situation. From my perspective, I will just try to help him when he comes back from the AFCON and help him get back to his best. When he does that, he is a top player.”

“We want to keep all our players but I also understand the way the market is and the way football is. We understand where we are in the football pyramid. You know that things can happen but my expectation is that we will have a strong squad come the end of the transfer window.”

Aston Villa have reportedly joined Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal in tracking Bissouma, but the midfielder’s price tag will give any potential suitors pause for thought.

The Seagulls are not expected to sell Bissouma for less than £50m in January, and that is likely to stop any teams from making a formal approach for the player this month.

If Bissouma continues to stall on signing a new deal, Liverpool and other teams will probably keep their powder dry and wait until the summer when he should be available for a much lower fee.