The midfielder looks set to become Swansea's latest signing of the summer
Malick Yalcouye was on loan at SK Sturm Graz last season and now looks set to join Swansea City
(Image: Getty Images)
Swansea City are on the brink of completing a loan move for Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Malick Yalcouye.
WalesOnline understands an agreement has been reached to take the 19-year-old on loan for the upcoming season, with the player set to undergo a medical set to take place on Wednesday.
The Ivorian is in attendance to watch his new side take on League Two side Crawley Town on Tuesday night, with the club hoping to have his international clearance through before Saturday's clash at home to Sheffield United.
Yalcouye, 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 previously been suggestions he might in the first team picture this 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 had previously been credited with an interest in recent weeks, but Swansea appear to have won the race for his signature.
The midfielder spent last season on loan at Austrian champions Sturm Graz, and even played eight times in their Champions League campaign, a run that also saw him named Player of the Match against Borussia Dortmund.
He signed a five-year deal with the Seagulls last summer, and there's a growing feeling on the English south coast that he has the skillset to one day shine in the Premier League following a meteoric rise.
Eligible to represent Ivory Coast and Mali, he signed for Albion after making just 14 outings for previous club IFK Goteburg having previously come through the ranks of Ivorian side ASEC Mimosas, where the likes of Emmanuel Eboue, Gervinho and the Toure brothers all began their careers.
His time in Sweden even saw him compared to Ngolo Kante by some onlookers.
Yalcouye made 36 appearances in all competitions last term, netting four goals and earning two assists as Graz won the Austrian Bundesliga title, and his capture will come as a huge boost to Alan Sheehan as he bids to add further depth to his squad.
He's poised to become Swansea's eighth signing of the summer, with Bobby Wales, Zeidane Inoussa, Ricardo Santos, Cameron Burgess, Ethan Galbraith and Paul Farman all joining on permanent deals.
West Ham United youngster Kaelan Casey has also come on board, after arriving on a season-long loan.
Meanwhile, the club remain keen on adding more firepower to their ranks before the close of the window, having cooled their interest in QPR-bound Richard Kone.
Jusef Erabi is another name to have been considered recently, while reports in France have linked the Swans with Schalke's Moussa Sylla.