Bazoumana Toure beamed after completing his £43m move to Newcastle United from Hoffenheim. The 20-year-old Ivory Coast forward is not about to stop grinning, as former Hammarby team-mate Nahir Besara explained. "It doesn't matter if it is a good day or a bad day," Besara said. "He always goes into the locker room with a smile, ready to work."
This transfer marks the latest step in a rapid rise for a player who dreamt of the Premier League. Toure only joined Swedish side Hammarby in 2024, departing for Hoffenheim a year later. After just 18 months in the Bundesliga, he boarded a private jet bound for Tyneside. Toure has never forgotten those who helped him. "The day before he left Hammarby, he sent me money as a gift," Besara recalled. "Of course I sent it back, but it was an amazing gesture."
“Newcastle sign smiling Ivory Coast forward Bazoumana Toure from Hoffenheim for £43m.”
Newcastle will hope Toure makes a similar lasting impression, both on and off the field. The club had been in the market for a left winger following Anthony Gordon's £69.3m move to Barcelona in June. After missing out on Victor Munoz, who chose Liverpool from Osasuna, Newcastle sorely needed a breakthrough. Not least after agreeing to sell midfielder Sandro Tonali to Tottenham Hotspur in a deal worth up to £100m. Tonali's impending exit was crucial to create headroom within financial rules to reinvest.
Toure fits the profile Newcastle have targeted: young, hungry and wanting to play for the club, significant after several knockbacks in the transfer market. The Ivory Coast international also has potential to flourish. Hammarby sporting director Mikael Hjelmberg, who brought Toure to Europe, said he "fell in love" with Toure when he first watched him play for ASEC Mimosas in his homeland. "It's his personality," Hjelmberg said. "He's always smiling, always positive."
Toure's positivity translates on the field. The rapid winger certainly tried to make things happen at Hoffenheim, who narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification. Of forwards in the Bundesliga in 2025-26, Toure ranked first for successful crosses (39), joint-second for assists (nine), joint-third for dribbles completed (48) and fourth for chances created (45) and big chances created (11). Newcastle will hope that smile and those numbers light up St James' Park.