Brighton head-coach Graham Potter has opened the door to Yves Bissouma departing from Brighton in the summer, admitting the team have to be ‘honest and sensible’ over his future.
Bissouma has impressed at the heart of Brighton’s midfield this campaign and has attracted interest from hosts of top teams including Arsenal and Man Utd for the Mali international – who is reportedly valued at £40m.
Potter is confident that the 24-year-old midfielder will only improve and believes he’s happy despite interest from European teams.
However, he accepted that a player of his talent will be hard to keep if top level teams come knocking.
‘The exciting thing for Yves is he can improve some more,’ said Potter.
‘He’s not at the top. But he’s got incredible potential and incredible talent.
‘Like any player, we have to be honest and sensible enough to know that if [they are] good enough to play at that level and [have] that opportunity, then we shouldn’t be scared of that.
‘At the same time, Yves is happy… He knows he’s in an environment here [where] people care for him, look after him and want the best for him.
‘He’s not perfect; he’s not the finished article; he’s still got things to improve. That’s really exciting for me as a coach.’