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Dale Steyn’s absence from the Hobart Test will mean an inclusion for either Kyle Abbott or Morne Morkel, with Abbott seemingly the more likely candidate

Firdose Moonda08-Nov-2016Kyle Abbott looks set to step into Dale Steyn’s shoes in the second Test in Hobart, ahead of Morne Morkel and new call-up Dwaine Pretorius. With Morkel yet to be declared fully match fit following two months on the sidelines with a back injury and, Pretorius only due to jet in once he receives confirmation of a visa, without saying it in so many words, coach Russell Domingo indicated Abbott could complete the three-man pace pack.”We’ve got two options at the moment. Kyle Abbott and Morne Morkel,” Domingo said. “Morne is coming off a back injury. We’ll assess him two days before the Test and make the call on whether he is 100% fit. Kyle Abbott is a consistent solid performer and has been every time he has come in.”We need to weigh up what type of bowler we want to use under the conditions in Hobart, because I think they are different to what they are here. It’s a fascinating series because all three venues have totally different conditions. I’ve never been to Hobart, I’ve heard its cold and the wickets are a little New Zealand-like, a little slower.”At the WACA pace and bounce provided what Kagiso Rabada called a “bowler’s paradise,” but, as Domingo said, cold, wet weather in Tasmania is unlikely to assist in the preparation of anything similar in the second Test. That may mean the pacemen have to play more defensive roles which could mean bowling longer spells. Morkel was initially left out because of concerns he would not be up for that and even though he is making progress, Abbott is regarded as more of a workhorse.South Africa are unlikely to change from their usual combination of three seamers and a spinner, Keshav Maharaj. After a debut Test in which Maharaj had to do more than he may have bargained for in a three-man attack and did it well, and performed impressively with the bat, Tabraiz Shamsi will wait for his turn.”Keshav Maharaj’s performance has been nothing short of phenomenal considering it was his first Test,” Domingo said. “He allowed seamers to have breaks when they needed to and I see him playing a massive role for this side going forward”Still, without Morkel, South Africa’s attack can be seen to lack a certain superstar status; after all Morkel and Steyn were long regarded as the golden pair. Philander proved he deserves the respect he earned when he first came in, with the way he stepped after up after Steyn went down, and Kagiso Rabada is quickly establishing himself as the leader of the attack, a label he prefers to distance himself from. But names like Abbott, Maharaj and Pretorius mean South Africa’s bench is stacked with so-called unknowns and their ability to step up to the biggest stage is what has pleased Domingo.”We’ve won some games of late without some of the best players in the world. We don’t have AB de Villiers and we’ve put in some wonderful performances. At the end of the day, they are all wonderful players,” Domingo said. “We’ve got some really good young players coming into the system and some really good young players back home. We are trying to focus on the group we have at the moment and trying to get the best out of them at the moment.”Domingo, like du Plessis had done pre-series, played down suggestions that de Villiers would make a surprise return for Adelaide after the captain told a radio station he hoped to fast-track his recovery from elbow surgery. “He has been caddying for a mate at a golf tournament,” Domingo said. “I don’t think he is going to be fit for Adelaide.. I am not a doctor but I can’t see AB being being there.”That means the batting line-up will continue to demand more from Temba Bavuma and Quinton de Kock, who have made up for inexperience with impressive temperament. De Kock has already been compared with Adam Gilchrist and if Stephen Cook’s misfiring goes on for much longer, he may be moved to the top temporarily.South Africa also have Rilee Rossouw in hand should they want to experiment, and Pretorius’ batting ability to add depth lower-down if they are unsure about the length of the tail. Pretorius has scored four half-centuries in five innings in the domestic first-class competition which put him ahead of candidates like Duanne Olivier, Marchant de Lange and Hardus Viljoen to head Down Under.

Arsenal enjoyed a remarkable season in the Premier League this year, which saw them hold onto top spot for a record 248 days before a late-season collapse allowed the imperious Manchester City to claim their third straight title.

The Gunners started last season with a string of pre-season victories in the United States against Chelsea and Everton, and fans will be hoping another American tour this summer can inspire the team to another title challenge come August.

What are Arsenal's 2023 pre-season fixtures?

The club have confirmed three pre-season fixtures so far, but if last season is anything to go by, we should expect them to start pre-season with a behind-closed-doors friendly and end it with the Emirates Cup.

The confirmed fixtures from the Arsenal official site.

Arsenal v MLS All-Stars, July 14th, kick-off: 04:30 BST Arsenal v Manchester United, July 22nd, kick-off: 22:00 BST Arsenal v Barcelona, July 26th, kick-off: TBC Where are Arsenal playing their pre-season fixtures?

For a second year running, the Gunners will be heading to the United States of America for the bulk of their pre-season, playing their three games in three different cities.

Arteta's men will kick off their tour against the MLS All-Stars at Washington DC's Audi Field. The game won't be easy for the boys in red and white, and there should be some added excitement due to ex-Manchster United legend Wayne Rooney managing the American side.

After the announcement, Rooney expressed his excitement to ESPN: "The opportunity to lead the best our league has to offer against a top Premier League club like Arsenal will be a highlight for me personally and an unforgettable experience for our passionate fanbase here in DC."

Arsenal's next game, against Manchester United, will occur in the city that never sleeps, New York. The venue for this all-English affair will be the massive Met Life stadium, home to the New York Jets NFL team.

The final game of the tour against La Liga champions Barcelona takes the north Londoners to the West Coast. Los Angeles's SoFi stadium will play host to the two teams.

SoFi stadium is owned by Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke and is the home of his Super Bowl winning NFL team, the LA Rams.

Can I buy tickets for the games?

Tickets for the first game of the tour against Rooney's MLS All-Stars are still available on Ticketmaster, but with the cheapest tickets priced at £202, it certainly isn't for the faint of heart.

Ticketmaster is also selling tickets to the game against Manchester United, with these ones being somewhat cheaper at around £136.

Those who fancy a trip to Los Angeles to see the Gunners take on the Blaugrana can expect to pay the least with Ticketmaster pricing tickets from £86.

Can I watch the games on TV in the UK?

Arsenal are yet to announce details on how fans can watch the club's matches whilst on tour, but if the last few years are anything to go by, the club will likely charge fans on a per-game basis through their own in-house media.

Fans have also been able to watch extensive highlights through Arsenal's YouTube channel during recent tours.

When does Arsenal's Premier League season start?

The Premier League season is scheduled to start on August 12th 2023, just 17 days after Arsenal's final pre-season game against Barcelona.

Arteta and co will undoubtedly have one eye on the season proper whilst in the USA.

Who is likely to go on the USA tour?

Arteta will likely bring the whole first-team squad to undergo as much preparation as possible before mounting another challenge for the Premier League title. Some of the youngsters that can expect a place on the plane would be Reuell Walters, Catalin Cirjan, Amario Cozier-Duberry and the forgotten Marquinhos. Additionally, if Edu conducts the club's transfer business similarly to last year, we could see some summer signings make their debuts in the US, looking at you, Declan Rice.

The India batsman had hurt his thigh last week and will fly to London next week to seek a specialist’s advice regarding his rehabilitation

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Nov-2016India batsman Rohit Sharma will travel to London next week for treatment on his thigh injury, which has ruled him out of cricket for at least 10 to 12 weeks. This means he is almost certain to miss the limited-overs leg of the England tour, and also puts him in doubt for the one-off Test against Bangladesh, which will be played early in February. It is possible he might have to undergo surgery.Rohit suffered the injury while batting in the last ODI of the five-match series against New Zealand in Visakhapatnam. He was on 46 when he hurt his quadriceps while diving into the crease to avoid being run-out. This happened in the 17th over and Rohit continued batting for five more without a runner because international cricket does not allow for such anymore. His 70 off 65 balls on a slow pitch was crucial to India winning the series 3-2.”He will travel to London early next week for specialist consultation with a possibility to undergo surgery, as a result of which, he is expected to miss at least 10 to 12 weeks of cricket,” a BCCI press release said. “The BCCI medical team will extend all support to Rohit Sharma, to regain full fitness and further contribute to Indian cricket.”There can be no good timing for an injury, but this one is particularly unfortunate because Rohit had just begun to cement himself in the Indian Test XI. In the series against New Zealand, he rescued India in the second innings in Kolkata. He was one of the only two batsmen to score at least one half-century in each of the three Tests, and was the fourth-highest run-getter overall.

A new dawn is on the horizon for Liverpool. The squad that clinched European glory and a Premier League has been largely separated.Jurgen Klopp must find the antidote to reverse the club’s fortunes and catapult them back into the top four.One of the biggest summers in the Reds’ recent history lies ahead as they must place faith in a new cohort of players.One name that has been mentioned as part of this rebuild is Arda Guler.

What’s the latest on Arda Guler to Liverpool?

According to Aksam (via Sport Witness), Liverpool and Barcelona are interested in signing Fenerbahce Guler this summer.It is understood that both Liverpool and the Blaugrana have 'stepped in' and have 'accelerated their attempts' to secure the signing.However, it could be a complicated deal as Fenerbahce are hoping to keep the youngster for at least one more year.That said, should the youngster leave then it may cost any suitor around £20m.

Who can Arda Guler emulate at Liverpool?

Guler joined the Fenerbache youth ranks in 2019 and signed a professional contract with the club in 2021, making his senior debut as a substitute against Finnish club HJK in the play-offs of the Europa League.Then in August 2021, the "serious talent" – as per Duncan Castles – made his Süper Lig debut, providing the assist for the winning goal to emphatically announce himself into national stardom.Then in March 2022, the playmaker created history as he became the youngest goalscorer in Turkish top-flight history, having only turned 17 three weeks earlier.The youngster was then awarded the club’s number ten shirt and in the first match of the next campaign, he scored twice in 21 minutes.He has continued to excel and has finished the term with 12 goal involvements in 34 appearances in all competitions.During his incredible journey, Erol Tokgolzer, Guler’s former coach, said: “I don't think Arda will stay in Turkey too long. Bids of €20-30m for Arda will become ordinary.”The teen has also been hailed by Andrea Pirlo, who said: “He has the potential to play anywhere in the world. He has quality, he can read the game well, and he has great technique. If he keeps developing his game, there is no limit to his potential.”Only standing 5 foot 9, Guler doesn’t possess a dominant, physical frame – his smaller, more nimble, and insanely intricate style mirrors that of a prime Philippe Coutinho.In 201 outings for Liverpool, the Brazilian – who also operates in a playmaking role – registered 54 goals and 45 assists, and Mauricio Pochettino once said he has “special magic in his feet.”

The rebirth of this silky, innovative, diminutive presence on the Anfield pitch could come in the form of Guler, and it makes for an exciting prospect to see what he could achieve under Klopp’s supervision.

South Africa’s captain, Faf du Plessis, described his hundred in Adelaide as his “best” in Tests after a week in which he was found guilty of ball-tampering by the ICC

Firdose Moonda at Adelaide Oval24-Nov-2016″My best.” That’s where Faf du Plessis rated this century – his second at Adelaide and sixth overall. It came after a week of intense scrutiny over du Plessis’ methods of shining the ball, a week in which he was found guilty by the ICC and fined, a week in which he made headlines for all the wrong reasons. His team-mates stood steadfastly behind him and he saw this innings as his chance to stand steadfastly ahead of them.SA learn to think pink

South Africa’s first day-night Test experience was “super strange” in the words of captain Faf du Plessis, who admitted it would take some time to get used to the timings of this type of game.
“It’s super strange,” du Plessis said. “When we walked off after the first session and it felt like a normal tea and almost like on session left in the day but there’s two sessions left. Then the last one, you have a massive dinner and think it’s time to go back to the hotel and there’s one session left. We will get used to it.”
Even though “everything is weird about it”, du Plessis was optimistic about the future of the pink ball.
“We’re going to get back [to the hotel] at 11pm. Your brain will be spinning for another two hours. That’s normal when you finish a game. So you go to bed at 2am and wake up at 8am and you’ve got to go again. Everything is weird for us at the moment.
“But it’s fascinating. It’s changing Test cricket. There was a massive crowd in today, so they obviously love it. The cricketers also enjoy it because it’s a different challenge.”

“I’m just pretty proud of today. It was a big day for me to stand up as a captain and make sure I lead from the front,” he said. “To get through all of that and this week in the manner that I did today makes me really proud.”Du Plessis expected some heat when he made his first public appearance – he had addressed the media the day before – but he was surprised that, after he stood alone to take South Africa’s total over 250, he was not wholeheartedly forgiven.”I was expecting a little bit of hostility but not to that extent,” he said. “When I came out, I was obviously quite aware of it [the booing]. As the innings went on, it disappeared a bit. To be really honest, when I got to 100 I wasn’t expecting to still get booed so that was disappointing.”It also added a little to du Plessis’ already immense desire to do his talking with the bat. “I was really motivated before today. I felt it was a character test and the only way I could do it is by scoring runs but it did help a little bit. Maybe 5%.”What helped more was that du Plessis was more focused than he has been ever before. The pink ball seamed and then swung, it also turned; the Australia attack searched and, in the case of most of his team-mates, found; but du Plessis had promised himself he would not give it away easily. “I have never been that switched on. Every ball I said to myself, ‘that is not enough. I want to get a big one here.’ I was just more motivated than I have ever been,” he said. “Surprisingly, technically I was the best I have been this series as well. I felt really good.”Before this innings, du Plessis’ contribution was a top score of 37 and he did not seem to have the same control he has displayed in the past. Today, his defences could not be breached but he also looked to score. He was not the same batsman who stonewalls for fun, he was someone who had purpose and, if he had more partners, he would have carried on. “I could have gone for another day. I really wanted to bat. The way I felt mentally I could have gone for a week,” du Plessis said.But with the chance to put Australia in under lights and make some early inroads, du Plessis decided not to search for an extra 20 or 30 runs and take advantage of a situation in which Australia were forced to seek an emergency opener. Du Plessis knew David Warner had spent time off the field and could not bat, he wanted to see if his bowlers could make the ball talk at night and, with the knowledge that 224 was the top score in last year’s day-night Test in Adelaide, he felt a total over 250 was good enough.”The position of the game was that it was time for us to declare. We were trying to get some wickets,” he said. “I don’t think we would have declared if we were seven down in the last hour of the night. We would have tried to get to 300. We got 250 but it feels like we got more. It isn’t a massive score but the statistics of the pink ball says it may not generally be a five-day game. It speeds up a little because there is a lot more action on the ball – 250 is perhaps 350 with the red ball.”

A round-up of the CSA T20 Challenge matches on December 7

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Dec-2016JJ Smuts lashed nine sixes in his 107 off 58 balls in East London, where Warriors chased down a target of 217 with an over to spare against Dolphins. The result kept Warriors within two points of Titans, the table leaders.Warriors lost opener Clyde Fortuin for a duck in the first over of the imposing chase, but Smuts and Colin Ingram made shrugged away that setback. They added 107 in nine overs before Ingram was out for 55 off 26, lbw to Imran Tahir. Colin Ackerman fell cheaply, but Christiaan Jonker made an unbeaten 36 off 20 balls in a partnership of 88 with Smuts to complete the seven-wicket victory.Smuts’ performance meant that for a second successive game Kevin Pietersen made a half-century in defeat. Pietersen had scored 79 in Dolphins’ loss against Cobras on December 4, and against Warriors he clobbered 81 off 46 with six sixes. His partnership of 145 for the second wicket with opener Morne van Wyk, who made 77 off 52, led Warriors to 216 for 5. Of the 14 bowlers used at Buffalo Park, only Smuts conceded less than 8.50 per over, finishing with figures of 0 for 23 in four overs for Warriors.A powerful batting performance at Supersport Park helped Titans beat Lions by 46 runs and open up a two-point lead at the top of the league. Opener Jonathan Vandiar headlined the show, smacking 67 off 41 balls, but the thrust that spurred Titans to 230 for 5 came from their middle and lower order. Heinrich Klassen made 26 off 15, Heino Kuhn 29 off 11, Albie Morkel 32 off 17, Farhaan Behardien 19 off 9, and David Wiese 17 off 5. Though Titans did not have big individual scores, their relentless hitting ensured that all the Lions bowlers, except for Bjorn Fortuin, went for over eight an over.Rassie van der Dussen got the Lions chase off to a cracking start, his 45 off 18 balls charging them to 53 before he fell in the fifth over. The chase fell away after that – only Temba Bavuma passed 30 – with batsmen failing to convert starts and score at the same intensity that Titans did. Malusi Siboto took three top order wickets for Titans, but it was Wiese’s spell of 1 for 21 in four overs that was the bowling performance of the match.Wayne Parnell led a Cobras bowling performance that set up victory against Knights in a low-scoring contest in Cape Town, after the 200-plus run fests in the other two games. Parnell took 3 for 20 in four overs, Kieron Pollard 2 for 18 in three, and Rory Kleinveldt 1 for 21 in four. Patrick Kruger and Theunis de Bruyn, who made 52, took Knights to 94 for 1 in the 12th over, but they fell away after that, losing 7 for 52 to finish with 146 for 8.Richard Levi’s 58 off 32 balls led the Cobras chase. He put on 78 for the first wicket with Wayne Parnell, who scored 34. Pollard smashed 39 off 12 balls to complete an eight-wicket victory with 32 balls to spare.

Newcastle United have an EFL talent on their radar radar it seems, with The Sun reporting that they are prepared to make a bid to bring in Josh Griffiths from West Brom.

Who is Josh Griffiths?

The goalkeeper has yet to test his luck in the Premier League, having played only in the Championship, League One and League Two over the course of his career so far. He has worked his way up through the divisions well though, initially joining Cheltenham on loan from West Brom. He helped guide them to a fourth tier title, managing 44 league games and conceding only 37 times along the way. That led to a move up into the third tier with Lincoln, where he once more played a prominent role. Whilst not as successful, a further 33 league outings gave him valuable League One experience.

He was then shipped back out on loan to League One with Portsmouth. After 22 more fixtures (with 27 goals conceded) in the 2022/23 season, he was given a short opportunity in the first-team of his parent club. Over the last 365 days, he sits in the top 17% for clean sheet percentage amongst other 'keepers in the Men's 'Next 8' competitions (those after the big five European leagues).

Now, it appears as though he may be gifted the chance to try his luck in the Premier League. That's because according to a report from The Sun, Newcastle are considering a bid to sign the shot-stopper as they look to bolster their ranks at the back. He may not be a starter for them but he is seen as a potential back-up for Nick Pope, and key club figure Dan Ashworth is a personal admirer.

What is Josh Griffiths' transfer value?

There is no official bid on the table yet and there is no potential fee spoken about yet either. However, CIES Football Observatory suggest that Griffiths' value lies around the 5 million Euros mark (or £4.2m). Considering the riches Newcastle now have, that could be a drop in the ocean to them for a player with a potentially bright future.

He's already a highly regarded player in the Championship – his current boss Carlos Corberan stated that Griffiths is playing "like a Premier League goalkeeper" already despite his age. It means that there might not be too much for the shot-stopper to work on and he may not struggle to adapt either – meaning he could eventually make a very suitable number one if Newcastle do sign him.

A little over 60 overs into the game in Pune it appeared England had their winning template in place

Arun Venugopal in Pune15-Jan-20171:16

‘Didn’t expect Jadhav to play like that’ – Morgan

A little over 60 overs into the game it appeared England had their winning template in place. After being asked to bat first, they obliged by putting 350 on the board. It was the 15th time England have scored in excess of 300 since the 2015 World Cup, and they have lost only on four occasions. Then Chris Woakes bowled a priceless opening spell of 5-0-12-0 on an unforgiving pitch, while David Willey delivered the early breakthroughs.England even managed to dismiss Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni in successive overs to have India teetering on the brink on 63 for 4. There was still Virat Kohli, but with only a little-known Kedar Jadhav and a callow lower middle-order, England had a chance to win big and dent India’s psyche. Instead, at the end of the night, it was England’s morale that was razed by a 200-run partnership in 147 balls between Jadhav and Kohli, who both scored first-rate, counterpunching hundreds.Eoin Morgan admitted he didn’t expect Jadhav to take the game away from England. He also revealed that at one point England looked to take Kohli off strike and target Jadhav, who ended up with a career-best 120 off 76 balls. “What hurts the most is we had India 60 for 4,” he said. “Credit to his 60-70 ball hundred.  We take our hat off to him. He was striking it from ball one and gave us no chances.”When asked if England had run out of ideas to stop Kohli, he said none of their plans came to fruition. Morgan referred to the 10th over when Kohli got a thick outside edge off Jake Ball, and Alex Hales at third man ran around and got in position for the catch, but the ball evaded his reach.”There is always something we can do,” he said. “All the plans weren’t far off today and the balls went over heads, maybe those two yards on another day, and that would have been out. And they would have been five down and you are right into them. He’s a fantastic player, he’s proven that over a long period of time.”Despite scoring 115 runs in their last 10 overs, Morgan felt England could have scored more than 350. He said it was as much a reflection of the pitch as it was about how they batted. “Yes, our batting effort was good, but it still wasn’t our best. When you score 350 you expect to play well. That summarises the conditions here, the pitch was really really good and the boundaries were pretty small. If anything, today proves that chasing 350, even at 60 for 4, you are never out of the game.”Morgan, however, took heart from the bowling performance in the first half. “Early on we were brilliant, four early wickets, still don’t think it [the pitch] offered a lot. Creating those chances early on was a great effort,” he said. “India came back at us hard, kept up with the rate and still kept coming, The wicket allowed them to do that.”We took four early wickets which is tough in the subcontinent. Taking early wickets is something we’ve always struggled to do in the past. David Willey has done well for us particularly at home, and from there you look at different options.”He hoped his bowlers would be better for the experience, and find ways to get out of such situations. “Our hope is that, the more our bowlers experience games like this, experience like the partnership today and the circumstances get harder, they’ll actually come up with good enough skills to restrict batsmen or get them off strike, or even take a wicket.”We encourage guys to do things differently all the time, conventional stuff doesn’t work as well as it used to anymore. All the teams around the world are in the same position, very rarely you come across a guy who can come in and blast the team out when there is a huge partnership going on. We still have guys like that.”

There has been a further update in Liverpool's pursuit to sign Federico Chiesa, with reports from Gazzetta dello Sport, via Sport Witness, stating that the Reds will stump up the player's wage demands and are ready to step up their interest in the player.

How many goals has Federico Chiesa scored?

The forward has struggled with injuries over the last 12 months or so, and that has meant his form and his gametime has slightly tailed off for current club Juventus. He could manage only six league starts for the Turin outfit over the course of the 2022/23 season for example and whilst he did play in 21 games overall, he had to make do with largely substitute appearances. It meant that, in total, he had only 9.5 lots of 90 minutes over the course of the entire campaign – his worst ever amount in a season.

In spite of this, Chiesa still managed to score two goals and bag five assists. Whilst not quite hitting the heights of his peak Juventus days or his time at Fiorentina, it shows that he is still capable of hitting the back of the net and creating things offensively when he is match fit and able to get onto the field. Juve though have struggled this season and with the club slumping to seventh – and missing out on the Champions League – it appears he may now be sold on.

Are Liverpool signing Chiesa?

One of the teams most interested in snapping up the Italy international is Liverpool. The Premier League side are reportedly willing to offer up to £34m to try and bring the winger in this summer, although that comes well below the Serie A side's valuation of him.

Now, according to a report from Gazzetta dello Sport via Sport Witness, this interest from the Reds is hotting up, with the side ready to not only stump up the player's huge wage demands of 8 million Euros (or £6.8m) a year but also preparing to make a "concrete" bid for his services next week.

It even adds that Jurgen Klopp is a big fan of the move, stating that he is a "great sponsor" for the deal being done. They've had "big manouveres" with the player's agent, so things are already happening behind the scenes it seems.

He's a player that is viewed as having a lot of talent in the eyes of media members. Football journalist Josh Bunting stated that Chiesa is a "real difference maker" and has been "one of the most exciting players around" for some time, while former Itlay striker Antonio Di Natale is a huge fan of the player, praising his unpredictability in posession and drive for improvement.

If Chiesa can get back to full fitness and play regularly again then, he could be a real asset to any club – and it appears that the club closest to signing him may just be Liverpool.

Wolverhampton Wanderers attacker Adama Traore is expected to leave the club this summer when his contract expires, according to Dean Jones.

What's the latest on Adama Traore?

After joining the club permanently back in 2018, Traore is getting ready to call quits on his Molineux career. The forward's contract expires this June and it looks as if the Spanish international is readying himself for a move across Europe.

The baby-oiled winger has consistently flattered to deceive at Wolves, showcasing his raw pace and power on a frequent basis but often failing to find the finishing touch in key moments.

On his day, the 27-year-old is unplayable, but those days have been few and far between in recent seasons, with the former Barcelona player only managing three goals and two assists in 40 matches last term.

Stefano Pioli's Milan could very well be his next destination, while Jose Mourinho holds an interest in the attacker at Roma. Traore is currently on £55,000-a-week and, given he will require no transfer fee, could be a sensible option for both Italian clubs in the market.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Dean Jones stated: "Adama Traore is likely to go soon. He has got a couple of options, being looked into at the moment, that will probably accelerate over the course of this week."

Wolves have already lost another star player in Ruben Neves, who joined Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia for £47m, while Joao Moutinho and Diego Costa will leave the club when their contracts expire in June. Meanwhile, Conor Coady is set to leave for Leicester City on a permanent deal.

In terms of incomings, Adama's namesake Boubacar Traore has already agreed a permanent switch to Molineux following his loan from Metz last season, while Matheus Cunha will follow the same path from Atletico Madrid.

Julen Lopetegui will be hoping to have enough funds to bolster his squad this summer and will need to reinvest the money received from Neves' transfer wisely.

Who are Wolves signing?

There hasn't been a vast amount of transfer news coming from Molineux, with most of the focus on outgoings so far in the window.

One man that has been linked with a move to Wanderers is Sevilla's Lucas Ocampos, fresh from his Europa League triumph with the Spanish club. The Guardian report that a £13m switch could be on the cards, although Fulham are also in talks for the winger.

The Argentine spent the first half of last season on loan with Ajax, before returning to Seville, and has 11 caps for the Argentina national team.