By David Lynch, Merseyside Correspondent

9th Jun, 2023 | 10:23am

Sources: Everton, West Ham and Wolves in race to sign Toure

Almeria have slapped a £34million price tag on striker El Bilal Toure amid interest from Everton, Wolves, West Ham and Burnley, sources have told Football Insider.

The 21-year-old has scored six goals in 17 La Liga appearances since making an £8.6m switch from French side Reims last summer.

And a departure after just a single season is likely to be on the cards with the forward attracting admiring glances from several clubs in England’s top-flight.

Everton, Wolves, West Ham and Burnley have all recently been keeping tabs on the Mali international, whose 15 caps have returned five goals.

German giants Bayer Leverkusen and Italy’s Juventus are also understood to have watched his development closely.

But Football Insider has been told that Almeria are ready to demand a hefty fee for a player who has enjoyed an impressive debut campaign in Spain.

The Andalusian club’s negotiating position has been strengthened after they avoided relegation to the Segunda Division on a dramatic final day.

Their safety was secured courtesy of a thrilling 3-3 draw with already relegated Espanyol that saw Toure open the scoring in the 10th minute.

As such, they are targeting a £34m fee for their star striker, a figure that would comfortably eclipse their record outgoing transfer.

The previous milestone was set in September 2020, when now-Liverpool forward Darwin Nunez joined Benfica in a £22m deal after scoring 16 goals in 30 Segunda appearances.

But, while it is hoped any agreement for Toure would surpass that, Football Insider understands there is some room for compromise in terms structure and add-ons.

That could prove particularly helpful to Everton, who must work smartly amid a Premier League investigation into their past spending.

In other news, the Toffees have also been scouting one of Toure’s teammates ahead of a possible swoop this summer.