According to recent rumors, Sheffield United and Leeds United have entered the competition to recruit 18-year-old winger Bazoumana Toure from Swedish team Hammarby.
According to TBR Football, a number of elite British teams are interested in signing the Ivory Coast U20 international, with Leeds United and Sheffield United being the only two clubs interested in doing so.
When Hammarby traveled to Sirius on Saturday in the Allsvenskan, up to a dozen British scouts are said to have been present. They would have been pleased with what they saw as the 18-year-old scored twice and provided an assist to help his team win 3-0.
Although he has a contract with the Swedish team through December 2028, the young player just joined Hammarby in March of this year after joining from Ivorian team ASEC Mimosas. Given his early success with the team, it’s little wonder he’s drawing interest.
Sheffield United and Leeds United are fierce rivals to recruit Bazoumana Toure.
TBR Football claims that in addition to Leeds and Sheffield United, teams interested in Toure include Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham, Crystal Palace, Brighton, Wolves, and Celtic. All of these teams sent scouts to the game on Saturday.
Leeds and Sheffield United will have a difficult time attempting to close a deal for Toure since so many Premier League teams and teams that play in Europe are interested in him, but it may also work in their favor.
Toure may see playing in the Championship as a more appealing option than playing U21 football elsewhere because he has a greater chance of breaking into their first teams right away, especially now that he has a ton of first-team experience with Hammarby.
Kim Hellberg, the manager of Hammarby, has picked Toure to win the championship, believing the 18-year-old could perform at the greatest level.
“I believe he can play at the highest level possible,” he remarked. Why he shouldn’t be given the opportunity to get there is beyond me. Numerous players have had the chance to reach that point but have chosen not to do so.
“He learns and takes things up in a way that is unique. On his head, he now scored two goals. and we’ve done a lot of work on how he should position himself and go into the box to generate advantages because he’s not a big player.”
Toure is undoubtedly a highly intriguing possibility for his age, but the Championship team may have a difficult time persuading him to join given the large number of teams interested in him.
After joining Hammarby in March, Bazoumana Toure has already had an outstanding start in 21 Allsvenskan games, tallying nine goals and four assists—a very strong return.
In September, The Mirror stated that Hammarby only valued him at £5 million, despite interest from Manchester United and Arsenal. Considering his performance this season, it seems like a great deal.
Given his start in Sweden, it seems certain that he will be moved, either to England or another elite European league, and English teams, like as Leeds and the Blades, will undoubtedly be closely observing what happens.
