Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers winger Adama Traore has returned to his boyhood club Barcelona on a loan deal until the end of the season, the La Liga club confirmed Saturday.
The agreement includes an option to make the transfer permanent in the summer, Barcelona said in a statement, adding that Traore would be presented as its new player in a ceremony behind closed doors Wednesday.
The Catalan club won the race to land Traore, with English club Tottenham Hotspur also reported to be keen on the winger, who chose to return to the city of his birth.
Traore is a product of Barca's La Masia youth academy, where Lionel Messi and manager Xavi Hernandez developed but played only four times for Barcelona before moving to Aston Villa in August 2015 for 10 million euros ($11.14 million).
A year later he joined Middlesbrough where he spent two seasons before signing for Wolves in 2018. His electric pace saw him finally reach his potential and led to a call-up from his country whom he has since represented eight times.
The 26-year-old, who spent much of the first half of this season on the substitutes' bench, scored only once in 23 matches in all competitions for Wolves.
Barcelona is in search of a buyer for Ousmane Dembele after talks on renewing the French winger's contract fell through.
It needs to offload Dembele by Monday, when the transfer window closes, to ensure it gets a fee as the 24-year-old's contract ends in June.
Barcelona is fifth in La Liga on 35 points after 21 matches, 15 points behind leader Real Madrid who has played a game more.
Xavi's team hosts Atletico Madrid in the league on Feb. 6.
