Tottenham Hotspur have ‘100%’ identified Wolverhampton Wanderers winger Adama Traore as ‘a target’, according to Daily Express journalist Ryan Taylor.
Spurs were unsuccessful in their attempts to prise the 26-year-old away from Molineux in January as he opted to re-join his boyhood club Barcelona on a six-month loan deal instead.
What is the latest news involving Traore?
Sky Sports revealed last winter that Tottenham were hopeful of concluding a deal for Traore, who they had also tried to sign the previous summer under former manager Nuno Espirito Santo.
However, the north London outfit were ultimately unable to tempt the Spain international to Hotspur Way with the lure of Barca proving too much for him.
But the Catalan giants decided against making Traore’s stay at Camp Nou a permanent one, and with under 12 months remaining on his current contract at Wolves, he is on the market once again.
The Express have reported that Tottenham ‘remain interested’ in the stocky speedster despite already making seven signings this summer.
Traore scored a wonder strike on his first start of the season against Preston North End in the EFL Cup last time out, and it could be one of the last appearances he makes in a Wolves shirt.
What has Taylor said about Traore?
At present, Tottenham have a plethora of options down the right hand-side, with Dejan Kulusevski and Lucas Moura occupying the wing and Emerson Royal, Matt Doherty and Djed Spence covering the wing-back position.
It’s unclear, therefore, where Traore would fit in at the capital club, but Taylor believes Spurs are eyeing him up in a potential bargain deal due to his contract situation.
In an interview with GiveMeSport, he said: “Adama Traore is 100% a target as well. And the fact he’s out of contract next summer means he could be available for literally, we're talking £10 million, £15 million.”
Would Traore be a good signing?
The attacker’s qualities have been well-documented down the years, with Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp previously stating that, "the speed of Traore is actually undefendable in moments."
Nevertheless, he has been unable to add a consistent end product to his game, registering just 12 goals and 18 assists in 157 appearances for Wolves in all competitions.
As per FBref, Traore has ranked in the 99th percentile for completed dribbles and the 94th for progressive carries amongst his positional peers over the last year, though, highlighting his ability to drag his team up the pitch.
Whether Antonio Conte views those qualities as enough to warrant a move to Tottenham remains to be seen, yet for just £15m, Traore could be a risk worth taking.