Everton are poised to move for Almeria forward El Bilal Toure this summer after narrowly missing out on relegation from the Premier League during the 22/23 campaign.
Could Everton sign El Bilal Toure?
While Sean Dyche's Toffees are believed to be in advanced negotiations for the Malian striker, Italian Serie A side Almeria are also considering a swoop following Manchester United's vested interest in prodigious talisman Rasmus Hojlund.
That's following some recent updates from Fabrizio Romano, underlining Atalanta's position on their "top target", but also hinting that Blues owner Farhad Moshiri could yet move; the Merseyside outfit have already blown the Nerazzurri out of the water with a €30m (£26m) bid.
The pre-eminent transfer specialist since confirmed that Almeria are honing in on Lorient's Ibrahima Kone to replace their prized asset, claiming that Everton are "pushing to make it happen".
How good is El Bilal Toure?
Just 21-years-old, Bilal Toure scored seven goals and supplied a further two assists from just 15 LaLiga starts last term after completing a transfer from Reims for €10m (£9m).
The 15-cap Mali international – with five goals to his name – would link up with compatriot Abdoulaye Doucoure at Goodison Park, and could prove to emulate the box-crashing midfielder – whose goal against Bournemouth on the final day of the season preserved Everton's top-flight status.
Praised for one "towering" performance several months ago by The Athletic's Patrick Boyland, Doucoure has been instrumental under Dyche and scored all five of his strikes last term under the 52-year-old's wing, with the former Clarets boss taking the reins in January.
Signing from Watford for £20m in 2020, the 30-year-old has demonstrated the path needed to succeed on the Blue side of Liverpool, headstrong, positive and resilient – ranking among the top 2% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 11% for touches in the attacking penalty area and the top 20% for blocks per 90, as per FBref.
Bilal Toure can indeed mirror his £120k-per-week countryman's endeavours by maintaining his similarly fruitful mentality, himself ranking among the top 4% of forwards for clearances per 90.
This illustrates tenacity and willingness to get stuck in, complementing his teammates with a bustling approach – all the while channelling his innate goalscoring instinct.
The "major talent" – as he has previously been dubbed by Graeme Bailey – boasted an average Sofascore rating of 6.81 in the league last term, taking an average of 1.4 shots per game and demonstrating his versatility by dividing his seven strikes up – four scored with his right foot, one with his left; Bilal Toure netted twice with his head.
He also bettered Everton forwards Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Ellis Simms and Neal Maupay's respective Sofascore ratings (6.74, 6.62 and 6.56) which bodes well for his future fortunes.
In securing such a promising starlet, Dyche would wield a forward with genuine capabilities of spearheading an ascent to prominence once again, and it could be a big season for the Toffees if they manage to beat Atalanta and secure Bilal Toure's signature.