EDDIE Howe believes keeping Lys Mousset last summer was “impossible” due to the striker’s expiring contract.

The Frenchman, who turns 24 tomorrow, left Cherries to join Premier League new-boys Sheffield United for £10million in July and soon became a favourite among Blades fans.

He has netted five goals in the top flight this term, including strikes against Arsenal and Manchester United. In three seasons at Cherries, he scored three Premier League goals in 58 appearances.

In an interview with the Blades website, Mousset claimed Sheffield United also tried to sign him in the summer of 2018 with boss Chris Wilder since quoted as saying Howe “might not have wanted” to sell the Montivilliers-born ace.

Discussing the striker’s move ahead of the trip to take on his new club at Bramall Lane on Sunday (2pm), Howe told the Daily Echo: “It was more the contract length really in the end.

“The season before he had two years left, which means we could keep him.

“But last summer with just the year left it made it impossible for us to make that call.”

Mousset arrived at Vitality Stadium from Le Havre in 2016 with good pedigree as part of the France under-20 squad and with Tottenham and Sevilla among the clubs linked with him at the time.

“He’s a very talented lad,” said Howe.

“Extremely talented because he has that unique mix of pace, power and finishing ability.

“(There is) very, very strong potential in Lys.

“The difficulty for us with him was our strike force, which when he first came in was very strong in itself, and with his contract situation.

“He had a year left last summer and it was a difficult one knowing that he wouldn’t re-sign.”