Almeria has officially announced that Everton, a Premier League team, is one of three clubs that have submitted a “formal offer” for the £34 million striker El Bilal Toure, writes the HITC. The news was initially shared on Twitter by Sacha Tavolieri, causing quite a stir. According to Tavolieri, Everton is willing to activate Toure’s €40 million release clause in his contract with UD Almeria.
This revelation is particularly surprising because it signifies a significant shift in direction for Everton, who previously struggled to meet Aston Villa’s asking price of £12 million for Danny Ings just a few months ago. However, the recent sales of Anthony Gordon and Moise Kean, which generated a combined £70 million, have provided Sean Dyche with a more substantial budget compared to his predecessor, Frank Lampard.
Mohamed El Assy, the CEO of Almeria, also suggests that Everton’s pursuit of the 21-year-old Toure is influenced by the potential takeover by American investment firm 777 Partners.
El Assy told Diario de Almeria: “It is not only Everton. There, a new owner has bought a part of the club, but it’s not just them. Officially, there are three clubs interested in El Bilal with formal offers on the table,”
“Two of them are Italian, and one is English. And now we are in the middle of negotiations.
“We are not going to broadcast (the details of the negotiations) in the media. It all depends on the value they present to us.
“We are happy with El Bilal because he is a hard worker and a great striker.”