Double transfer blow as Everton to miss out on €44 million striker duo

Everton has been chasing multiple striker targets this summer as Sean Dyche wants to reinforce the attack. The Toffees have had Coventry City striker Viktor Gyokeres and Alermia forward El Bilal Toure on their wish list but it appears that they are set to miss out on both of the targets.

Everton had been interested in Coventry’s Gyokeres since the January transfer window. Coventry did not want Gyokeres to leave in January as they were in contention to secure Premier League football. Fast forward to the end of the season, the Sky Blues did not secure promotion and chances of Gyokeres leaving were substantially high.

Everton faced competition from Sporting as the Portuguese side were keen on the Swedish international. Sporting launched an offer which was nowhere close to Coventry’s valuation but the club was confident of getting the deal done.

Everton miss out on Viktor Gyokeres and El Bilal Toure

Eventually, Everton cooled down their interest as it became clear that Sporting would complete the transfer. According to Fabrizio Romano, final green light has been given as Sporting will unveil Gyokeres as the new signing after the medicals. The deal is reported to be worth €24 million, a club record fee paid by the Portuguese club.

Gyokeres was one of the priority targets for the Toffees and missing out on him will be a blow for Everton. EFC had also been keeping tabs on Almeria forward Bilal Toure. However, they were not the only interested side. Bilal Toure has had an impressive campaign with the La Liga side, netting seven goals in 21 league games. The Ivorian striker has a release clause of €40 million but it was certain that no team would pay such a high amount.

There was another report that claimed that the Toffees also launched a bid for Bilal Toure and offered him a five year contract that would see him earn £3.7 million a year. Serie A side Atalanta have been interested in Bilal Toure and it appears they will win the race for the 21 year old.

According to L’Equipe, Bilal Toure is close to signing for Atalanta although EFC still remain in the race. The Serie A outfit is ready to pay upwards of €20 million to secure the signature of Bilal Toure. With the Toffees missing out on the Ivorian, Everton have missed out on two of their transfer preferred striker targets. EFC have also been strongly linked to Leeds United striker Rodrigo, who is eager to leave Elland Road following Leeds’ relegation.

Should Everton have pushed more for Viktor Gyokeres and El Bilal Toure?