Anthony Onifade

Thu 20 July 2023 18:40, UK

West Ham United have made a ‘covert’ move to sign Almeria forward El Bilal Toure, with his €40m (£35m) release clause not expected to be a problem, according to Diario de Almería.

According to the report (20 July), the Hammers are waiting to make their move for the Mali international, as they look to sell Gianluca Scamacca and Michail Antonio who are both likely to leave the club this summer.

It is believed that the La Liga outfit are willing to allow Toure to depart the club only if his €40million (£35m) release clause is matched, and after West Ham received a £105m windfall from Declan Rice’s sale to Arsenal, Toure’s clause isn’t believed to be a problem.

Get him in

With the Hammers most likely to lose both Scamacca and Antonio this summer, the need for attacking reinforcements has been made pretty clear.

If the East Londoners are to take the next steps season, a ruthless goalscorer should be high on their agenda this summer.

Blessed with the abilities to play with both feet and his rapid pace and finishing strengths at his young age, the “outstanding” Bilal Toure represents an attractive proposition for David Moyes to exploit this summer.

He may not be the ruthless finisher West Ham United seek right now, but he certainly has the potential after undergoing a tremendous breakthrough campaign last season, scoring seven goals and registering two assists, including a winning goal against La Liga champions Barcelona in February.

At 21 years of age, Toure will need time to bed in if this move is completed but West Ham can rest assured that given the room and time to develop alongside a more experienced striker like Danny Ings or another addition, he would eventually become a London Stadium superstar in no time at all.

This is a very exciting and attractive proposition for the Irons to explore this summer.

In other West Ham news, the winner has been named in the £25million Hammers and Wolves race to seal a first-team signing this summer.