Newcastle United are striding towards the signing of 20-year-old winger Bazoumana Toure from Bundesliga side Hoffenheim.
Newcastle have agreed a £100 million deal to sell Italian midfielder Sandro Tonali to free-spending Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur. Winger Anthony Gordon has already departed for Barcelona.
Toure will be the Magpies’ second new signing of the summer transfer window after young French goalkeeper Ewen Jaouen switched to St James’ Park from Reims last week.
Bazoumana Toure set for Newcastle medical ahead of transfer
It’s understood that major sales will enable Newcastle to strengthen Eddie Howe’s squad despite the club’s compliance agreement with UEFA after breaches of their European governing body’s financial regulations.
“Newcastle intend to use the proceeds from the Tonali sale to reinvest in their squad, with Howe desiring a goalkeeper, at least one full-back, two midfielders (should Joe Willock also leave) and at least one attacker,” reports The Athletic.
“Toure was among the attacking targets after Newcastle lost out on [Victor] Munoz, and will be expected to fill the creative void which Gordon’s departure left.
“Until he is pictured holding the shirt and the deal is announced, there will be understandable concern among the Newcastle fan base as to whether they will be gazumped when chasing another target.”
Toure’s World Cup came to an end in the round of 32 on Tuesday when Erling Haaland’s fortuitous late winner sealed a win for Norway to set up a round of 16 clash with Brazil at the expense of the eliminated Ivory Coast.
The Hoffenheim winger was a very late substitute at Dallas Stadium. He played a total of 80 minutes in the Ivorians’ World Cup effort and ended the campaign with nine caps to his name after making his senior international debut as recently as last October.
He was snapped up two years ago by Swedish outfit Hammarby, who took a flyer on him after a trial in Stockholm after he moved to Europe from ASEC Mimosas, the most successful club in the Ivory Coast.
Toure played just 23 Allsvenskan matches before another move, this time to Hoffenheim where he has continued to impress.
Primarily a left-sided winger, Toure is being lined up as a more-or-less direct and ‘starting-calibre’ successor for Gordon, according to The Athletic.
The Magpies will also be in the market for a top-level central midfielder to accommodate the loss of Tonali, who will become Spurs’ club record signing upon confirmation of a deal reportedly worth an initial £92.5 million and £7.5 million in potential add-ons believed to be related to the Champions League.
While Newcastle are homing in on their second 20-year-old signing, Spurs are adding Tonali to Mateus Fernandes from West Ham United and Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton & Hove Albion for a combined fee north of £200 million.
Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi have been acquired on free transfers after leaving Liverpool and Bournemouth respectively.
