Newcastle United have entered the race to sign highly-rated forward Bazoumana Toure, according to reports this week.
TBR Football has revealed that the club had scouts watching over the 18-year-old Ivorian as he scored twice and set up one in a recent game for Hammarby; a top-flight Swedish side currently second in the Allsvenskan.
His recent double sent him up to nine goals and four assists for the season, which is an impressive return in 21 league appearances and his first full year in senior football.
It’s believed that up to a dozen British clubs were in attendance at Hammarby’s last game, a 3-0 win over Sirius, with Premier League sides such as Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham, Crystal Palace, Brighton, and Wolves tracking the forward along with Sheffield United, Leeds and Celtic.
Interestingly, Toure is in fact a left-sided winger, a position where Newcastle already have Harvey Barnes and Anthony Gordon. However, it’s clear Sporting Director Paul Mitchell is scouring the globe for emerging teenage talents and future stars, with the arrival of Georgian talent Vakhtang Salia a prime example of this following his signature earlier this week.
Speaking after his recent brace, Toure’s manager Kim Hellberg said: “I think he can play at the highest level possible. I don’t see why he shouldn’t have the chance to get there. There have been many players who have had the opportunity to get there but have not taken that route.
“He is unique in the way he learns things and picks things up. Now he scored two goals on his head… and we have worked so much on how he should get into the box and how he should position himself to create advantages linked to the fact that he is not a big player.”
The Hammarby boss was then asked whether Toure would be suited for the Premier League “I would almost be surprised if it didn’t.”
