Club CEO confirms Everton attempt for player – One of three “offers on the table”
UD Almeria CEO Mohamed El Assy has confirmed that Everton have made a move for forward El Bilal Toure but aren’t the only ones to do so.
The CEO has been speaking to Diario de Almeria regarding various aspects at the club and the developing transfer situation around their striker.
Bilal Toure has been linked with a move away from the club for several months, with Everton one of the Premier League teams believed to be interested in him.
That was followed by a claim that Everton had formally expressed their desire to pay that figure and get the player but were working to try and pay in three or four instalments.
Either way, they are in the mix for the player and El Assy has confirmed as much, but insisted they are just one of three clubs who are interested in him.
“It is not only that of Everton. There a new owner has bought a part of the club, but it’s not just them,” he said.
“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, from what we will see, since we are not going to broadcast them in the media.”
Everton make contact with AC Milan over signing of Charles De Ketelaere
Everton have made contact with AC Milan about the potential signing of Charles De Ketelaere this summer, according to journalist Daniel Speranza.
The Toffees are eager to bolster their striker lineup this summer and are said to have money to spend after notifying Almeria of their want to exercise El Bilal Toure’s release clause.
But now that their promising Belgian forward faltered in his first season in Italy, they have spoken with Serie A powerhouses Milan about the possibility of signing him.
On July 3, he posted on his personal Twitter account, “After West Ham and Crystal Palace, Everton also conducted a poll for Charles De Ketelaere in the last few hours.”
“The Milan is firm on its requests: about €30million (£25.7m) are needed. Reflections in progress by the English clubs.”
He truly struggled to adjust to their style of play and failed to score a single goal in 40 appearances for the club despite being widely linked to both Leeds and AC Milan.
But his talent is still there, and a squad that is constructed more around his talents would undoubtedly benefit from his abilities. Whether a Sean Dyche team is one of those teams, though, remains to be seen.
Although he can play throughout the forward line and is a dangerous playmaker with a keen eye for goal, Dyche may have low hopes for him due to his lack of physicality.
Spending nearly £25 million on a player who has had a miserable season and is not a good fit for the current manager sounds like a stupid move, but Everton is known for making them, so it can’t be completely ruled out at this time.
In other Everton news, Dyche is considering a transfer to Goodison Park for Vincent Kompany’s favorite Man City defender.
