Almeria will ‘go ahead’ with a deal to sell El Bilal Toure if Premier League outfit Everton are willing to stump up the £34 million required for the La Liga frontman.
El Bilal Toure might have scored just the seven La Liga goals in 2022/23. But what he lacked in consistency he more than made up for with good timing.
The former Reims starlet scored an equaliser against Atletico Madrid. A few weeks later, he netted the winner in a 1-0 triumph over champions Barcelona. Considering that Almeria ended up one place and one point above the relegation zone, Toure’s ‘man for the big occasion’ tendencies were absolutely integral to keeping Rojiblancos heads above water.
Everton are in the market for a centre-forward, with Toure in their sights.
And, despite the ongoing uncertainty surrounding their ownership situation, Sean Dyche at least has some money to play with; the Toffees selling Anthony Gordon and Moise Kean for a combined £70 million.
Everton want Almeria striker El Bilal Toure
Sacha Tavolieri reported last week that Everton were willing to trigger the £34 million release clause in his contract. Almeria’s CEO Mohamed El Assy has since confirmed an approach from Goodison Park. But delve a little deeper and things are not quite so simple.
Everton, per the Daily Mail, first want Toure on loan, albeit with an obligation-to-buy clause in his contract. The Merseysiders would also prefer to pay the eventual fee across four instalments.
“We are fighting to get the best price for the club, as always,” El Assy tells Marca. “And, if we are successful, we will go ahead with the deal.
“We have to agree to the deal, so we’re talking to him and the different clubs. We’ll see what we do finally.
“In the end, this is a two-way relationship. It doesn’t depend on just one club, so it’s not in our hands. But we’ll do the best we can.”
Almeria sold Toure’s predecessor Umar Sadiq to Real Sociedad in August 2022. But, as El Assy points out, Almeria will have a lot more time to find a replacement if Toure departs in mid-July, though Everton appear to be relatively far apart in negotiation with the Spaniards as things stand.
The Mail adds that Almeria were ‘surprised’ about the nature of Everton’s loan-to-buy bid. Toure’s most likely destination as things stand, meanwhile, appears to be an Atalanta outfit who could lose Rasmus Hojlund to Manchester United (L’Equipe).
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