Tottenham boss Antonio Conte has suffered a huge transfer blow with Barcelona set to steal top target Adama Traore from under his nose before Monday’s deadline.
Spurs are now focusing on an ambitious swoop for Porto forward Luis Diaz — but the disappointment of missing out on the Wolves winger hit the Premier League club hard yesterday.
Traore had been earmarked by Conte and Tottenham’s recruitment team, and there was confidence that a deal could be concluded. Talks between Spurs and Wolves were held for weeks with the expectation that Traore would move to north London.
Wolves winger Adama Traore is set to rejoin Barcelona seven years after leaving for Aston Villa
The Molineux club valued Traore at around £26million — but there was a feeling at Spurs that they could get him for around £20m.