90min

Manchester City & Juventus Join Race for Wolves Star Adama Traoré

By Grey Whitebloom

Adama Traore has turned heads all over Europe this season with his Wolves displays
Adama Traore has turned heads all over Europe this season with his Wolves displays / Sam Bagnall - AMA/Getty Images
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Wolverhampton Wanderers' Adama Traoré has garnered the attention of several European giants this season, as Manchester City and Juventus join the race for his signature.

Traoré joined Wolves after two inconsistent years at Middlesbrough in the summer of 2018, for around £18m. This season the 24-year-old has blossomed into one of the Premier League's most exciting - and deadly - talents with four goals and nine assists in the competition.

Wolves boss Nuno Espírito Santo has been widely lauded for vastly improving Traoré's end product - only two players in the English top flight can boast more assists than the Spanish Under-21 international.

In January, a 90min exclusive revealed that three clubs had registered an interest in the dynamic winger, with his former side Barcelona rivalling the Premier League's Manchester City and Liverpool.

However, ESPN's sources suggest that Juventus have joined the hunt for Traoré's services. The Italian giants and Manchester City supposedly top the list of suitors while Barcelona have dropped out of contention. The Catalan club are thought to only be able to finance a move for Traoré next summer.

Although, the report claims that Traoré will remain at Wolves if Espírito Santo's side clinch Champions League qualification. The Midlands team are sixth in the Premier League table and a flying start to football's resumption - thanks in no small part to Traoré's ever-increasing influence - leaves them very much in the race for the top four places.

Alternatively, Wolves could qualify for Europe's premier competition by winning the Europa League. They face an Olympiacos side - which dumped Arsenal out of the tournament - in the second leg of their round of 16 tie after a 1-1 draw in Greece.

During the lockdown, it came to light that Wolves would demand £70m for Traoré, a sizeable fee given the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Yet, Manchester City may be in need of reinforcements on the flanks after Leroy Sané's move to Bayern Munich.