Aston Villa could soon be handed a much-needed transfer windfall from the sale of Middlesbrough winger Adama Traore, according to the Telegraph.
The newspaper claim the Midlands giants could land £3.5million this summer if a Premier League club triggers the £18million release clause in Traore’s Boro contract.
The Telegraph report Villa inserted a 20 per cent sell-on clause into the deal that took Traore to the north-east club in the summer of 2016.
Good move for Villa?
It would certainly provide some much-needed short term relief for the cash-strapped Midlands giants if they could rake in a multi-million sell-on fee from the sale of Traore. Under-fire owner Tony Xia will not be the only person praying a Premier League club will spend big on the Spaniard amid fresh turmoil at Villa as they look to squeeze costs and survive ahead of the new season. Manager Steve Bruce knows he will have to rely on loan deals and short-term signings, and would hope that the money gleaned from any Traore transfer can go straight into his summer playing budget.
This Is Futbol rating 10/10
Likely to happen?
Traore is a much-improved performer and has matured significantly since his Villa days, adding consistency to his output as well as greater end product. Under Tony Pulis, he has taken his game to new heights and was one of the most dangerous attackers in the Championship in the second half of last season. Whether that is enough to persuade a Premier League club to fork out nearly £20million is another matter, entirely. Expect the fee to be slightly less if he were to go this summer.
This Is Futbol rating 5/10