Chelsea rekindle interest in former Barcelona graduate

Chelsea have rekindled their interest in Middlesbrough winger Adama Traore, reports London Evening Standard.

Antonio Conte’s side were heavily linked with a move for the former Barcelona academy graduate in January as the Chelsea manager looked for more options out wide.

Traore has spent the last two years in England after moving to Middlesbrough from Aston Villa last summer and the 21-year-old powerhouse could now make a surprise switch to Chelsea.

The Premier League champions have kept tabs on Traore since they negotiated the sale of Patrick Bamford back to Middlesbrough in January but a £20m valuation is unlikely to be met by Chelsea.

Gary Monk’s side have reportedly made it clear they are not interested in selling Traore this summer as they look to make an immediate return to the Premier League next season but they could still be swayed if they receive the right price.

Despite featuring in significantly fewer minutes of action than his counterparts in Europe’s top five leagues, only four players completed more dribbles than Traore last season (136).

For more stats on Adama Traore, click here to visit his WhoScored player page