Arsenal and Tottenham have reportedly joined the race to sign Hammarby IF wonderkid Bazoumana Toure.
The 18-year-old only joined the Swedish top-flight side from Ivory Coast team ASEC Mimosas back in March but already he is attracting interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs.
The winger, whose contract runs until December 2028, enjoyed a breakout season in 2024, scoring nine goals and creating four assists in 23 appearances.
Now, new reports suggest Arsenal and Tottenham are monitoring the progress of the Ivory Coast youngster – who has been rated at just £8.3m (€10m, $11.1m)
According to Sky Germany journalist Sarah Wieczorek, Bayer Leverkusen, RB Leipzig, Wolfsburg, and more, are watching Toure’s progress.
Spurs and the Gunners have seemingly joined a list of admirers that includes Manchester United, Bayern Munich, and Benfica, among others.
DON’T MISS: Future Arsenal ‘superstar’ urged to shun voices urging him to ‘get away’ by ex-Gunner
Club resigned to letting him go
Off the back of Toure’s excellent start to life at Hammarby, the club’s sporting director, Mikael Hjelmberg, suggested it is inevitable that the Ivorian will head to pastures new eventually.
However, they are determined to keep onto the young talent – who follows in the footsteps of the likes of Kolo Toure, Yaya Toure, Salomon Kalou, and Emmanuel Eboué who came from Mimosas – for as long as possible.
In late September, Hjelmberg said: “Clubs in Europe want to be at the forefront in terms of scouting, and they report that they are interested and so on. But it is nothing more than that.
“There were quite a few clubs that cancelled their place against Norrköping when they realised that he was suspended. It was a bit of fun. Then there were a lot of cancellations. But there are quite a lot of big clubs coming now. And we have known about that (the interest).
“We need to plan for a future without him. Then if it happens (a deal) this winter, next summer or even further than that, I don’t think so in and of itself… we’ll see. But the longer we get to keep him the better.”
Arsenal and Tottenham lock horns again
Tottenham and Arsenal are reportedly set to go toe to toe in trying to sign Sunderland starlet Chris Rigg, 17, following an excellent 2024/25 campaign so far.
However, Spurs are also interested in Rigg’s 18-year-old team-mate Tom Watson at some point in 2025.
Meanwhile, TEAMtalk revealed that although Arsenal want to sign Real Sociedad star Martin Zubimendi, Liverpool are planning on reigniting their interest for the Spain international.
The Reds have also identified Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez, but he is also liked by Premier League rivals United.
Finally, Arsenal are said to face competition from Aston Villa for Ajax ace Kenneth Taylor, who is valued at around £30m (€36m, $37.7m).
Who is Bazoumana Traore?
Born in the Ivory Coast in March 2006, Toure started his career at ASEC Mimosas and made his first-team debut in the CAF Champions League at the age of 16 years and seven months. He made one more appearance for the Ivorian club before joining Hammarby in March for just £370,000.
“Toure is more of a distinct winger, and has tremendous speed,” Hjelmberg said after completing the deal. “He is extremely fast and has an ability to pass opponents with speed and finesse.”
He has made a brilliant start to his career in the Swedish top-flight, registering nine goals and four assists in 23 appearances. The 18-year-old winger – who has three caps for the Ivory Coast Under-20s – can play on either flank and has also been praised for his defensive work rate.
He has been linked with a number of top clubs and is represented by the Unique Sports Group, whose top clients include the likes of Anthony Gordon, Brennan Johnson and Reece James.
“I think he can play at the highest level possible,” Hammarby manager Kim Hellberg said. “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.”