El Bilal Toure Atalanta medical in place in £26.5m deal, Everton had staff on standby – Sky Sports

Everton had staff on standby for Almeria striker El Bilal Toure to complete a medical at Goodison Park, according to Sky Sports.

The publication reported on its website on Friday (28 July) that the Toffees were close to signing the 21-year-old forward.

“Almeria forward El Bilal Toure is having a medical with Atalanta after the clubs agreed a £26.5m deal,” according to Sky Sports.

“Everton were close to signing him and had staff on standby to do a medical. However, Toure’s desire to play in Serie A proved decisive.”

It may seem like a missed opportunity for Everton, with Toffees supporters set to be disappointed at the club’s failure to bring in the talented forward.

However, a move to Merseyside was perhaps never really on the cards if the 21-year-old always had his heart set on a switch to Serie A.

Still, Everton need new players, and the Mali international would have undoubtedly helped the Toffees have a much better season than they did last time.

Setbacks like this do, of course, happen to plenty of clubs in the summer transfer window, but Sean Dyche is now rapidly running out of time to bring more new faces to Goodison Park, having already acquired Ashley Young on a free transfer and Arnaut Danjuma on loan from Villarreal.

The new Premier League season is getting closer and closer, and Everton will no doubt struggle once again if more signings are not made between now and the end of the window.

In other Everton news, James Garner has sent a four-word message to one player after the latest Manchester United transfer news.

EVERTON NOW PLOTTING SWAP DEAL TO SIGN 16-GOAL STRIKER SADIO MANE PRAISED

Everton are chasing Salernitana striker Boulaye Dia and could launch a part-exchange deal involving Neal Maupay.

Boulaye Dia is a key target for Everton and Neal Maupay may end up heading in the opposite directio

That is according to Tutto Salernitana, who have been discussing Dia’s future at Salernitana.

It’s stated that Everton didn’t want to pay the €25million (£21.5million) release clause which was valid in Dia’s contract until July 20th.

Everton would instead prefer to negotiate a deal and they may end up launching a swap.

The report claims that Salernitana want to sign Maupay having also targeted him last summer.

Salernitana would move for Maupay if Dia leaves and that has opened the door for a potential exchange.

Everton would still have to cough up some cash alongside Maupay, but Salernitana’s interest in the Frenchman gives the Toffees a real chance to engineer an intriguing deal.

Who is Everton target Boulaye Dia?

Dia hails from Oyonnax, just between Lyon and the Swiss border, and started his career with little-known club Jura Sud Foot.

An impressive goalscoring record there resulted in a move to Stade de Reims, who initially put Dia into their B team.

Dia gradually became more and more important, scoring four goals in 2018-19 campaign, eight in 2019-20 and then 16 in 2020-21.

That consistent improvement handed Dia his big move as he headed to Spain with Villarreal – but the move didn’t really work out.

Dia managed only seven goals in 35 games before being sent on loan to Salernitana last summer.

The Senegal International was exceptional last season, smashing 16 goals in 33 outings to tempt Salernitana into turning his move permanent.

That’s the kind of goalscoring ability Everton need and Sean Dyche could take a punt on Dia whilst also offloading Maupay, which seems pretty much ideal.

Sadio Mane admitted in 2021 that he was ‘really impressed’ with Dia and Everton could now offer him a move to Merseyside.