Middlesbrough forward Adama Traore is the second most likely player to join Newcastle United this summer, according to Football Whispers.
The football site claim the Spaniard, 22, has a good chance of a return to the Premier League by heading to St James’ Park.
Football Whispers, which gathers all transfer rumours across the globe and calculates the likelihood of them happening, rates it 3.3 out of 5 that Traore will join Newcastle, with five the highest possible ranking and meaning it is a certainty.
He is second in the rankings after Spartak Moscow forward Quincy Promes (3.5) and ahead of third-placed Joe Allen (3.2).
OPINION
With his extreme pace, directness and increasingly impressive decision making, Traore could make a huge impact at Newcastle. He has emerged as Middlesbrough’s biggest asset following a lengthy period when his game did not appear cut out for English football. Key to the turnaround for Traore has been Tony Pulis, who has coaxed far greater consistency out of him since he took the Riverside reins. All five of Traore’s goals in 2017-18 and nine of his 12 assists came after Pulis replaced Garry Monk on Boxing Day. Suddenly, the winger went from an occasional threat to a consistent one and Championship defences by the end of the season were frightened to death of him. With just two years left on his Boro contract, the north-east club are vulnerable to losing him following their failure to secure promotion via the play-offs. There will certainly be intense demand for Traore’s signature and the fee could end up being well north of £15million.
