Both Brighton and Hove Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers will have a scout in attendance for Hammarby’s clash with Häcken to watch forward Bazoumana Touré.
That’s according to Fotboll Skanalen, who say both sides are part of a growing list of suitors for the 18-year-old.
They explain that it is no secret Touré has admirers across Europe after impressing in his debut season in the Allsvenskan, bagging six goals and three assists in 16 games to date.
That’s not gone unnoticed, and reports have consistently linked the likes of Bayer Leverkusen, Eintracht Frankfurt, Crystal Palace, Celtic, Bayern Munich and Benfica.
For now, Hammarby, specifically sporting director Mikael Hjelmberg, are insisting there is nothing concrete on the table.
But the scouting continues and Fotboll Skanalen report that Brighton and Wolves are one of six teams to have registered scouts for today’s game at the Tele 2 Arena. Arsenal, Manchester United, Leverkusen and Wolfsburg have also announced that they will be there.
The potential competition for the youngster is fierce, then, with Brighton and Wolves not the only ones clearly considering a move in the near future.
Hjelmberg can definitely see that happening and admits they already have to plan for life without the youngster.
“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,” he said.
“There were quite a few clubs that cancelled their place against Norrköping when they realized 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.”
