Everton submit bid to sign El Bilal Toure as £34m transfer news emerges, Sean Dyche desperate
Everton have made their first “major” bid of the summer as they look to sign Almeria forward El Bilal Toure, according to The Mirror.
The newspaper claims the Toffees have submitted an offer in the region of £25million as Sean Dyche is “desperate” to strengthen his attacking options, but that falls short of the La Liga outfit’s £34million valuation of the Mali international.
With a number of other European sides showing interest in his services, Almeria’s sporting director Mohamed El Assy has stated that his club will be taking a hard stance on letting the 21-year-old leave after he scored seven goals in 21 appearances last season to help them avoid relegation.
Tough competition
It appears as though Everton have now made their intentions clear to get a deal over the line for the promising young forward.
El Assy has revealed that two Italian clubs have also shown an interest in El Bilal, with “formal offers on the table” to prize him away from the south of Spain.
One of those teams reportedly battling it out with the Toffees is Atalanta, who finished fifth in Serie A last season and will have Europa League football to offer the striker, making it a tough one to get over the line should the decision come down to the player.
But Everton do have the lure of Premier League football at their disposal and that is often enough to persuade players to make the move, while regular minutes would also be on the table as they are short up front.
It seems likely the Goodison club will continue to push forward in their pursuit of the striker and, given the promising reports on him, he could be just the signing they are looking for.
In other Everton news, the Toffees are in negotiations for a winger at a Champions League club.