Thomas Frank has axed Yves Bissouma from his Tottenham Hotspur squad so far this season.
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Tottenham Hotspur are ready to trigger a one-year contract extension for midfielder Yves Bissouma despite reports that the 29-year-old is unlikely to ever play for the club again.
Bissouma’s current deal is set to expire at the end of the season, which would allow him to leave on a free transfer to a club of his choice. Having paid £25 million to sign the player from Brighton in 2022, Spurs are keen to recover some money invested in the star.
The midfielder is yet to feature for Spurs this season despite having played 44 times in all competitions under Ange Postecoglou last season. That comes after a falling out with Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank.
Yves Bissouma ‘unlikely’ to play for Tottenham Hotspur again
Bissouma was initially dropped from the squad ahead of the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain as a disciplinary measure after reportedly turning up late to training repeatedly. The midfielder was then struck by injury before picking up another problem on international duty for Mali when fit again.
The former Seagulls star has not been named in the Champions League squad and the Daily Mail reports that Bissouma is ‘unlikely to play again for Tottenham’. Despite that, the outlet claims that Spurs will extend the star’s contract in January and make use of a one-year option.
Tottenham Hotspur performed a similar action with Son Heung-min last season before selling him to LAFC on an MLS record fee of £20 million. The London outfit will listen to offers for Bissouma in January but want upwards of £10 million for the player.
Turkish clubs Fenerbahce and Galatasaray were reportedly interested in a transfer over the summer with Premier League rivals Fulham named as potential suitors in January. The Cottagers are expected to invest in January after Marco Silva spoke out about his disappointment following a quiet summer window.
Spurs risk ‘nightmare situation’ with transfer ploy
While Spurs may feel they have the power given the one-year option, they should perhaps be begging Fulham to buy Bissouma. The contract extension is a risky ploy and one that could backfire in.
Should Bissouma not feature at club level for the rest of the season then that, combined with his disciplinary problems, may be enough to deter any summer bids. Not being able to sell the midfielder would be a nightmare situation for Tottenham Hotspur - the club could end up voluntarily forking out for the star’s lofty wages for another 12 months as he drains the bank, rather than injecting their budget with a transfer fee.
The ideal fix is a quickfire January sale to a club such as Fulham but, should that fail, then simply releasing Bissouma at the end of the campaign could be a wise move. That would free up space on the wage bill and avoid a time-consuming summer transfer saga.
In other news, Tottenham eye transfer windfall as Leeds United linked with £25m Ivan Toney alternative.