The two clubs are working out the details of a paid loan with an option to buy that would convert into an obligation under certain conditions, giving the Ivorian, who turns 25 in October, a third temporary spell away from Bergamo.
Atalanta paid a club-record fee of €31m for Toure, but have struggled to move him on since, following an unsuccessful loan at Stuttgart, where a €4m loan fee and €14m buy option went unexercised after a modest campaign of 12 appearances and two goals.
Last summer Besiktas took him on an identical formula to the one now being discussed with Parma, paying €3m for the loan with an obligation to buy for €15m had Toure scored nine goals in the season; he managed seven in total and returned to Bergamo once again.
Parma will be able to sign him permanently at the end of the season for around €11m if the buy-out conditions are met, offering the forward another chance to relaunch a career that remains both Atalanta's record signing and, so far, one of its biggest disappointments.
Separately, Parma continue to negotiate with Paris Saint-Germain over the sale of Japanese goalkeeper Suzuki, who could yet move to Ligue 1 this summer. According to Fabrizio Romano, Parma have so far rejected PSG's offer of €33m plus bonuses, with the French club expected to return with an improved proposal, though not one that reaches the €45-50m Parma are believed to be holding out for.
A middle ground will need to be found for a deal to happen. Suzuki, though, is unwilling to move to Paris only to sit on the bench, and has made clear to PSG that he wants to play regularly.
One option under discussion at PSG is loaning him to Juventus for a season, without including any option for the Bianconeri to buy him permanently, a structure that would effectively see PSG use Juventus to maintain and develop the goalkeeper's value on their behalf, and it remains to be seen whether Juventus, who have been tracking Suzuki as their own priority target in goal, would be willing to accept those terms.
The two situations leave Parma navigating a busy final stretch of the window, bringing in fresh attacking depth while standing firm on their asking price for one of Serie A's more coveted goalkeepers. Suzuki's performances for Japan at this summer's World Cup only strengthened his market value, and Parma's willingness to hold out suggests confidence PSG's interest will eventually meet somewhere near their valuation.
Toure's arrival, by contrast, is far closer to being finalised, with the formalities expected to be completed within days once the exact buy-out conditions are agreed.