Chelsea, on the lookout for reinforcements in the summer transfer window, are reportedly closing in on pacy Middlesbrough winger Adama Traore. The Spanish winger has been impressive for the Teessiders as they are pushing for a qualification to the Premier League by winning the playoffs.
The Blues are in with an outside chance for qualification to the Champions League as they recently got the better of their rivals, Liverpool. Even if they do manage to somehow qualify for it, it will be considered as a poor season for Antonio Conte and he could be shown the door at the end of the term. However, they do have a chance to take away a silverware as they are in the finals of the FA Cup.
One of the reasons why Conte has had a bit of a tiff with the board is that he hasn’t been able to sign players of his choice. The new signings of Alvaro Morata and Tiemoue Bakayoko have failed miserably and the Blues might have to look for other players to bring in more solidity in those positions. Traore can be a good addition to the squad plus he has the experience of playing in the English top flight before. According to reports, to gain his services, Chelsea will have to shell out £30m.
The Blues can lose out on some of their key players if they don’t manage to qualify for Champions League and Eden Hazard has been on the transfer radar of Real Madrid for quite some time now. Traore will not be a like for like replacement for Hazard as the Belgian usually plays down the left and Traore down the right wing.
It will be interesting to see whether the Spanish winger will be able to break into the first team as there have been a bunch of players who were signed by Chelsea and were offloaded before even getting proper chance to showcase their abilities. One prime example of that is Mohamed Salah who is enjoying a great run with Liverpool this season.
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Traore will most probably have to bide his time to get regular playing opportunities as the likes of Willian and Pedro will likely be starting ahead of him. If Middlesbrough win the playoffs and qualify to the Premier League, he should probably stick with his current side as he will have a greater opportunity for development at the Riverside stadium. However, if they miss out on the qualification, Chelsea’s job could become easier and the winger might be lured to Stamford Bridge.
