Atalanta have officially announced the permanent signing of Malian striker El-Bilal Toure from UD Almeria.
It is widely believed that Atalanta have paid a club-record fee to bring Toure to Bergamo, reported to be a package totalling €30m.
There had been plenty of interest in the 21-year-old, particularly from Everton in the Premier League, but according to multiple reports, Toure decided several weeks ago that Atalanta would be the best next step in his career.
A statement from Atalanta’s club website read: “Atalanta BC announces that it has definitively acquired the rights of the player El Bilal Touré from Union Deportivo Almería.
“Born on 3 October 2001 in the Ivory Coast, but of Malian nationality, he is a striker who grew up in the Ivoire Académie and in the Afrique Football Élite.
“He arrived in European football in 2020 after shining in the African Under-20 National Cup which he won as a protagonist with Mali in 2019 when he was still 17, starting every game and scoring the decisive penalty in the semi-final with Nigeria.
“He was then bought by Stade Reims in January 2020. On his Ligue 1 debut, he scored the goal that set the tone for the 4-1 win against Angers. He also starts the following championship by scoring immediately on his debut: in the 2-2 draw with Monaco he scores a goal and an assist.
“After two and a half seasons in France, with 9 goals and 5 assists in 69 appearances, he moved to Almeria in the summer of 2022, scoring three goals in the first five league games played. He ended his first experience in La Liga with 7 goals and 2 assists in 21 appearances, signing important goals such as the 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid and, last February, the 1-0 success over the future Spanish champions of Barcelona.
“Atalanta BC extends a warm welcome to El Bilal Traoré, wishing him the best in the Nerazzurri shirt, both personally and within the team.”