Wolves are plotting to break their transfer record by sealing a stunning £22million deal for Middlesbrough winger Adama Traore before next Thursday, according to the Sun on Sunday.
The newspaper claim on their website that the Premier League new boys are ready to pay £4million more than Traore’s £18million release clause to get the deal done.
The Sun report the clause pertains to the fee being paid up front and in full, and Wolves would prefer to stagger the payments “over the period of his contract”.
Despite having been ruled out with a shoulder injury, Wolves are said to be expected to trigger Adama’s clause in the next few days, breaking their £15.8 million transfer record for Portuguese midfielder Ruben Neves.
Good move for Wolves?
Yes. Traore played the best football of his career in the final months of last season, when he scared Championship defences to death with his pace and directness. He has added consistency to his game since Tony Pulis took over at Boro, and is a different beast to the exciting but raw talent who first arrived in England at Aston Villa. His decision-making has improved and it is telling that all five of Traore’s goals in 2017-18 and nine of his 12 assists came after Pulis took the reins at the Riverside Stadium on Boxing Day. Traore is now at the age when he can make a huge impact at Premier League level. He might now deliver the goods every match but he is a bona fide matchwinner and worth shelling out a club-record Wolves fee – which stands at the £15.6million Ruben Neves deal a year ago – to push the transfer over the finish line.
This Is Futbol rating 8/10
Likely to happen?
This deal is gathering pace, amid widespread reports in recent days that Wolves are willing to go big to get their man. The possibility over paying £4million above the release clause is a major twist, but there is some logic to it, especially if the payments are staggered over many years and keeps the Molineux giants within financial fair play regulations. This is a transfer that could go down to the wire.
This Is Futbol rating 7/10