Tottenham Hotspur have announced the signing of Yves Bissouma from Brighton & Hove Albion.
The Mali international has penned a four-year deal with the North London club and has arrived for an initial £25m from the Amex Stadium.
Bissouma's fee could rise as high as £35m with add-ons, and the 25-year-old becomes Spurs' third signing of the summer after Fraser Forster and Ivan Perisic.
The former Lille man arrived at Brighton following their promotion to the Premier League in 2018, with the Seagulls forking out £15.1m to bring him to England.
Bissouma immediately established himself as a regular for Brighton under Chris Hughton and Graham Potter and leaves having made 123 appearances for the South Coast club in all competitions.
The midfielder scored six goals and set up three more for Brighton in that period, including two goals and two assists from 28 matches in the league and cup competitions last season.
Bissouma found the back of the net against Tottenham in the FA Cup fourth round and started 25 Premier League matches, although he missed three through suspension after picking up 10 yellow cards.
© Reuters
Antonio Conte's new summer signing has also scored two goals and provided three assists in 21 international matches for Mali, helping them reach the last 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations back in January.
Off the field, Bissouma made headlines in the autumn when he was arrested at a Brighton nightclub on suspicion of sexual assault alongside a man in his 40s before being released under investigation.
The ex-Brighton man was permitted to continue playing and travel to the Africa Cup of Nations following his release, and the investigation into the allegations is ongoing. Tottenham have not publicly commented on the matter.
A police statement released to football.london read: "A man in his 40s from Brighton who was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault has had his conditional bail extended until June 24, 2022.
"A man in his 20s, also from Brighton, who was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault has been released under investigation while enquiries continue."
Bissouma is set to jostle with Oliver Skipp, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur for spots in Conte's two-man midfield, which could open the door for Harry Winks to leave in the coming weeks.
Conte is still hopeful of welcoming more new faces to Hotspur Way following Bissouma's arrival, with Spurs still after a new centre-back and new striker ahead of the 2022-23 season.
The Lilywhites could be preparing to wrap up their fourth summer signing imminently, as a £20m fee has reportedly been agreed for Middlesbrough right-back Djed Spence.
Ben Knapton
