Almeria forward El Bilal Toure, who was linked with Everton, could now be set to join Serie A side Atalanta this summer.
The 21-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to Goodison Park and has been valued at £34m by the La Liga outfit.
Indeed, the Blues reportedly made a bid for the Mali international last week, with a structured deal proposed as an initial loan deal, with an obligation to buy in a series of installments.
However, the young attacker is also a ‘top target’ for Atalanta as they line up a replacement for Manchester United-linked Rasmus Hojlund.
Taking to Twitter, football journalist Fabrizio Romano stated: “El Bilal Toure, Atalanta’s top target this summer in case Hojlund leaves. He’s top of the list, as called in June.”
Romano did indeed report last month that Toure was a target for the Bergamo-based side, also stating that Premier League clubs were ‘keen’ on the striker, with one such club thought to be Everton.
Everton look set to miss out on another promising player in El Bilal Toure
Toure seems to have been a primary target for Sean Dyche this summer as the Everton boss looks to rebuild his threadbare attacking options.
However, Atalanta could earn as much as £60m for Hojlund, which would likely see the Toffees miss out on yet another target this summer.
Everton have already missed the boat on Swedish international Viktor Gyokeres, who moved from Coventry City to Sporting CP in an £18.5m deal, despite reported interest from the Blues.
A number of Everton-linked forward are still available, such as free agent Moussa Demebele, with Kevin Campbell recently stating on the Falcon Blues TV YouTube channel that there is ‘no excuse’ for the Toffees not to sign the 27-year-old.
El Bilal Toure could have been an exciting addition to Sean Dyche’s squad, scoring seven times in 22 outings for Almeria last season, achieving a ratio just shy of a goal every three games.
However, Everton will now likely have to look elsewhere, though the Blues have reignited their interest in Villarreal attacker Arnaut Danjuma, but after what happened in January, few fans will be convinced of his intention to join until he puts pen to paper.