Samsunspor are reportedly keen to sign Bertrand Traore this summer as Aston Villa weigh up a potential exit for the Burkina Faso international.
Villa signed Traore from Lyon in September 2020, and he has since gone on to score 10 goals and provide seven assists in 56 appearances for the club.
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Having gradually fallen down the pecking order though, he spent the first half of last season on loan at Basaksehir before returning in January after sustaining an injury.
In a surprise turnaround, he emerged as an important option for Unai Emery who needed a new solution on the right side of our attack, and the 27-year-old scored two crucial goals against Leicester City and Nottingham Forest to keep our European push going.
However, inconsistency has long been an issue for Traore as well as injuries, and with Emery perhaps looking to bring in his own players this summer to significantly improve on what he already has at his disposal, it’s likely that the Villa forward will be replaced and an exit is a possible outcome.
According to Aksam, Samsunspor want to sign Traore this summer ahead of their return to the Turkish top flight, and it’s reported that the player is open to the move. Negotiations are continuing between the two clubs to potentially reach an agreement on a transfer, with news expected in the coming days.
Traore is now in the final year of his Villa contract with the deal set to expire in June 2024, and so the club need to make a decision on his future and recoup as much of our outlay on him as possible if a sale is the preferred option.
As per BBC Sport, the move cost us £17m three years ago, and while we’ll of course get nothing near that back, it’s hoped that it is a permanent transfer to cash in while we can, rather than lose him for nothing in 12 months time or a loan agreement with part of Traore’s wages perhaps covered by us.
If the Villa ace has no role in Emery’s plans moving forward, it’s important to balance the books as much as possible and create space in the squad for upgrades. So while there are some fond memories of Traore’s time with us with moments of real quality, particularly with his contract situation in mind, an exit is arguably the best solution this summer for all concerned.