The Athletic's Gregg Evans has revealed that Aston Villa remain interested in signing Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma, and are planning on making another move in the summer transfer window.

What's the story?

Reports in the final few days of the January window had initially claimed that the West Midlands club were very much interested in signing the Seagulls ace, and that a deal could well done if the Premier League side put in a big bid for him.

A deal however failed to materialise before the deadline, although Evans has now reported that Steven Gerrard's side will consider making another push for him come the summer.

Fans will be buzzing

Speaking after the January transfer window closed, Gerrard confirmed that Villa did indeed put in a bid for the Mali international but that it was rejected by the Seagulls.

He said: "It was well documented that we put in a bid for Bissouma at Brighton which was turned away, and we respected and appreciated.

"If a move is not right then we will not become desperate and make decisions we do not think are right. If it’s not right at the time, we might have to be patient." While Villa's stance on Bissouma was certainly understandable, the fact that the midfielder will enter into the final 12 months of his contract in the summer may work to the club's advantage even more so than in January. Brighton will surely feel even more pressured to sell and try and recoup some sort of fee for their star midfielder, and Villa will feel they can get him in on a cut-price deal.

It's a move that has previously been backed by former Villa man Lee Hendrie, who said: "I did a chat with myself and Paul Merson on Soccer Saturday a few weeks ago talking about Bissouma, and we highlighted what he actually does. I mean, his stats are absolutely phenomenal, the way he breaks the game up, his forward play.

"He's got a good football brain. Like I said, when you've got someone who breaks the game up so well and can go join in and play, I'm inviting players like that to the football club."

The £25k-a-week earning star would be a superb signing for Villa, and it's exactly why fans will be buzzing with Evans' latest transfer update.

Meanwhile, Lange must avoid repeating this transfer mistake...