FC Barcelona has reached an agreement with Wolverhampton Wanderers for the loan of Adama Traore.
The 26-year-old underwent a medical in Barcelona on Friday and was officially unveiled as a Barcelona player on Saturday. The Catalan club will have an option to buy Traore next summer for around $40 million.
Traore, 26, is a product of Barcelona’s youth system and has spent 11 years at the club before moving to Aston Villa in 2015. 12 months later, he joined Middlesbrough, only to sign for Wolves in 2018.
Tottenham was close to having Traore this month, but Barcelona’s last-minute interest in the player changed his priorities. Traore opted for a return to Camp Nou also in the light of the tactical switch that Tottenham boss Antonio Conte had in store for him. The player was not sure he could reach his best version in the right wing-back position, where Conte was planning to use him.
Traore only started 10 of the 21 Premier League games Wolves has played this season, with this being the lowest-performing campaign from his last four.
Barcelona will not pay any loan fee, but will cover the player’s wages entirely.
The presentation of Adama Traoré as a new FC Barcelona player will be on Wednesday 2 Feb. behind closed doors, given the pandemic context.
Adama Traore hopes to play against Atletico next weekend
Traore joined FC Barcelona at the age of eight. The winger progressed quickly, often playing in teams above his age group. Adama’s debut for the first team came on 23 Nov. 2013 with Gerardo Martino in charge of the team. He came on as a substitute for Neymar in the final minutes of a 4-0 win at home against Granada. Three days later he made his debut in the Champions League in Amsterdam, against Ajax. His only goal for Barca’s first team came in a Cup game against Huesca, which finished 8-1.
Traore’s performances in Wolves’ shirt caught the eye of Spanish national team coach Luis Enrique, who offered him his debut in Oct. 2020. So far he has won eight caps and was in the squad at Euro 2020. He can play on both flanks and is a nightmare to defend against thanks to his pace and force.
The winger can make his second debut at FC Barcelona next Sunday, when Atletico Madrid comes visiting. Barcelona is the bookies’ favorite to win this crucial clash for top four permanence in La Liga. The Blaugrana are at +125 to win against the defending champions, with Atletico at +225. A bet on a draw returns +225 as well.