Everton need to reignite their offensive fire this summer after another miserable campaign, and have identified Almeria ace El Bilal Toure as an option for transfer.
What's the latest on El Bilal Toure to Everton?
According to the Daily Mail, Toffees owner Farhad Moshiri is looking to reinforce his striking department and has earmarked Bilal Toure, with the 21-year-old enjoying success in Spain.
While a transfer fee has as yet not been touted, according to Football Transfers, the Mali international is valued at £20m, having signed for Almeria from Reims for €8m (£7m) last summer.
Toure is also attracting the attention of divisional rivals Brentford, who are wary of losing their prolific talisman Ivan Toney for a lengthy spell following betting allegations.
Who is Bilal Toure?
When Dominic Calvert-Lewin rekindled his fitness levels last month, the optimism of the Everton faithful was renewed as their towering talisman took to the field once again, having scored a goal and an assist over the past five matches.
However, he was withdrawn at half-time in Everton's recent defeat to Manchester City as a precaution after expressing discomfort in his groin, illuminating the need for a reliable talisman, with £15m summer signing Neal Maupay only scoring once from 28 appearances.
In Bilal Toure, who scored six goals and supplied two assists from just 14 LaLiga starts this term before picking up an injury that has cruelly cut his season short, a vibrant and precocious new star could indeed alight Goodison Park after years of instability.
The 13-cap Malian – with four goals – ranks among the top 17% of forwards across Europe's top five leagues for rate of assists and the top 3% for clearances, as per FBref, and already boasts a dynamism that will allow him to flourish in the Premier League as both a creative outlet and a direct threat.
The £5k-per-week gem was hailed as a "major talent" last summer by 90min's Graeme Bailey while the player was still at Reims, stating that he had been earmarked as a replacement for Richarlison, who signed for Tottenham Hotspur for £60m.
Richarlison scored 53 goals and supplied 14 assists from 152 outings for the Toffees and has been more recently hailed as "unstoppable" by writer Sacha Pisani following his blistering individual success with Brazil at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
With Richarlison finding success across every section of the front three, with Bilal Toure also utilised from the centre and the flank, Everton could unearth a prodigious talent to be moulded into a refined gem on Merseyside, and must swoop to reinvigorate the attack.