Former Wolverhampton Wanderers winger Adama Traore has reportedly emerged as a surprise transfer target for Aston Villa.
Traore's five-year stint at Molineux has just come to an end with the Spain international opting against penning a new contract.
The 27-year-old contributed a total of 14 goals and 20 assists from 194 appearances for Wolves, while 17 outings were also made during a loan stint back at Barcelona during his time at the West Midlands outfit.
When Wolves confirmed his exit last month, they added that a deal was still on the table for Traore, although it is now unclear if that remains the case due to the club's well-documented issues with FFP.
Numerous clubs in Spain and Italy have each been credited with an interest in the wideman, yet nothing has materialised with the likes of Real Betis and AC Milan.
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However, according to Football Insider, Traore could be provided with the opportunity to continue his career in the area with Villa, one of his former clubs.
Tim Sherwood was in charge when Villa bought Traore from Barcelona in 2015, but he failed to make a notable impression at Villa Park and left with just 12 appearances to his name.
Traore successfully kick-started his career at Middlesbrough, and his attributes continue to keep him as an attractive option to many teams in the top leagues around Europe.
When Traore was at Villa eight years ago, they were competing down the bottom end of the Premier League standings, yet Unai Emery has transformed the club into contenders for the Champions League.
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Villa finished in seventh position during 2022-23, qualifying for the Europa Conference League, and they will have high hopes of winning that competition.
Pau Torres, Youri Tielemans and Moussa Diaby have been signed from Villarreal, Leicester City and Bayer Leverkusen respectively, the latter likely to command a starting role in Emery's XI in a wide area.
Emery also has Emiliano Buendia, Leon Bailey, Philippe Coutinho and Bertrand Traore who can feature on the flanks, although the latter is being linked with a return to Turkish football.
Regardless, Traore may still only be regarded as a rotational option should he move to Villa, much like he was at Wolves where 72 of his 157 Premier League games came from the substitutes' bench.
Darren Plant
