Levy ‘not overly dismayed’ as Spurs miss out on key Conte target

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy was not too bothered that Wolves winger Adama Traore joined Barcelona in the January transfer window, according to reports.

Traore moved to the Catalan giants on loan in January with the La Liga club having an option to make the move permanent in the summer.

The loan sees Traore, who was also heavily linked with a move to Tottenham, return to his boyhood club after the Spain international came through the youth set-up at Barcelona.

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Traore joined the club when he was eight and made his first-team debut nine years later before moving to the Premier League, where he has represented Aston Villa, Middlesbrough and Wolves.

Spurs had seemed like the frontrunners for Traore earlier in the January transfer window with reports insisting in the last week of the window that Tottenham were ‘closing in’ on a deal for the Spain international.

However, The Athletic now claims that ‘Spurs insiders have always denied the club made a £15 million bid for Traore’ in the fortnight before the transfer deadline.

It is understood that while Spurs ‘weighed up their options, Barcelona pounced’ but that Levy was ‘not overly dismayed at missing out on Traore, and his attention had turned elsewhere’.

The Athletic add that ‘Levy was far more invested’ in trying to get a deal for Luis Diaz over the line before the Colombian joined Liverpool.

Meanwhile, Wolves technical director Scott Sellars opened up on Traore’s move to Barcelona once the deal was confirmed.

He said: “Adama has always acted with the utmost professionalism, however it is no secret that we have not been able to agree a new contract with him, despite protracted negotiations, and his desire at the moment is to play football elsewhere.

“Everyone knows Barcelona is a city, and club, very close to Adama’s heart, so it is a dream move for him. We have also agreed a very healthy option in the deal should Barcelona wish to make the move permanent this summer.

“We wish Adama the best of luck in Spain, and hope that he plays regularly, has great success and shows everyone what he is capable of.”