Swansea are pushing to add more midfield options to their ranks this summer
Malick Yalcouye spent last season on loan at Sturm Graz(Image: Getty Images)
Swansea City are weighing up a loan deal for Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Malick Yalcouye, WalesOnline has learned.
The 19-year-old, who can play either out wide or as a number eight, is seen as one of the most exciting youngsters on Brighton's books right now, and there had been suggestions he might be on the cusp of a run in the first team next season.
But despite some impressive performances for Albion in pre-season, another loan spell has been viewed as the best next step in his development. Sign up to our Swansea City newsletter here.
Toulouse and FC Copenhagen have shown an interest in recent weeks, but Swansea now appear to be firmly in the mix.
However, contrary to reports elsewhere, club sources have stressed that a deal isn't yet agreed, with the youngster understood to be one of several midfield options being looked at.
It's understood Liverpool's James McConnell is another to have been the subject of initial enquiries this summer.
Yalcouye spent last season on loan at Austrian champions Sturm Graz, and even played eight times in their Champions League campaign, including a man-of-the-match performance against Borussia Dortmund.
In total, he made 36 appearances in all competitions, netting four goals and earning two assists as Graz won the Austrian Bundesliga title.
Having signed a five-year deal with the Seagulls last summer, there's a growing feeling the teenager, who holds dual nationality with Mali and the Ivory Coast, has the skillset to shine in the Premier League following a meteoric rise.
He made just 14 outings for previous club IFK Goteburg before catching the eye of Albion, having previously played for Ivorian side ASEC Mimosas, where the likes of Emmanuel Eboue, Gervinho and the Toure brothers all started their careers.
His time in Sweden even saw him compared to Ngolo Kante by some onlookers.
Should Swansea secure a deal, Yalcouye would become their seventh signing of the summer, with Bobby Wales, Zeidane Inoussa, Ricardo Santos, Cameron Burgess and Ethan Galbraith all joining on permanent deals.
West Ham United youngster Kaelan Casey has been the latest to arrive, the centre-back sealing a loan move to SA1 earlier in the week.
Meanwhile, the club remain keen on adding more firepower to their ranks before the close of the window, but a move for Richard Kone remains unlikely, despite Wycombe Wanderers changing their demands for the striker.
The League One side have dropped the amount they want up front for the 22-year-old to around £3m, in a move that could push open the door for an exit.
Swansea are aware of Wycombe's change in stance, but sources have indicated that it hasn't altered City's position, and a move to SA1 remains unlikely, with the club assessing a number of other options.
Jusef Erabi is one of the alternatives to have been considered, with reports in Sweden suggesting the club have already launched two bids for the Hammarby star.