Former England winger John Barnes believes Yves Bissouma should turn down Newcastle United and Aston Villa and wait for a move to Liverpool in the summer.
The Brighton & Hove Albion man has been linked with a switch to Tyneside in the January transfer window as Eddie Howe aims to strengthen his midfield ahead of the remainder of the season.
However, the Seagulls are determined to keep hold of the Mali international and fight off interest from Newcastle and Steven Gerrard's Villa, who also want to sign him.
Bissouma has made 100 Premier League appearances since joining Brighton from Lille for an undisclosed fee and his form has attracted attention from some of the top clubs around Europe.
Another possible destination for the 25-year-old is Liverpool and Barnes believes he would be a perfect fit, however, it is understood that the Reds aren't willing to add another midfielder until at least the end of the season.
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"From a Liverpool perspective, it would be lovely to see Yves Bissouma playing at Anfield rather than for Newcastle or Aston Villa," Barnes told BonusCodeBets .
"If you look at the age of Liverpool’s midfielders, a lot of them are aged 30 or older, Yves is young and would be an excellent signing for the club.
"As to whether Bissouma wants to leave Brighton right now and sign for another team in a relegation dog fight, then that’s up to him.
"He must decide what is right for himself, but the quality he possesses at this stage of his career – he should be aiming higher [than Aston Villa or Newcastle].
"Newcastle is a great club, but if you ask people Liverpool or Newcastle, then it’s a no brainer [you’d pick Liverpool].
"If you wanted to create a template for the ideal Liverpool central midfielder, Bissouma fits it perfectly."
Youri Tielemans and Jude Bellingham have also been backed to join Liverpool as Jurgen Klopp tries to freshen up his options in midfield, but Barnes would prefer to have Newcastle target Bissouma.
"Youri Tielemans is a brilliant player, but he’s a completely different type of footballer to Yves Bissouma,” said Barnes.
"Tielemans is a very good, hardworking midfielder, but if you look at the nature of what Liverpool midfielders do, in terms of their physicality and the ability to get up and down the field, that isn’t necessarily what Tielemans does.
"Youri is excellent in possession and is perhaps maybe more Manchester City’s style of player. Yves Bissouma would suit the Liverpool style more than Tielemans would. The same as he would with Jude Bellingham.
"All three are excellent players though, Liverpool wouldn’t be doing wrong by signing any of them."
