Boubacar Traore set to trigger clause to make permanent Wolves move

Wolves signed the 21-year-old in the dying hours of the summer transfer window on a season-long loan from French club Metz, with a £9.5million option to buy him next summer.

However, Wolves also confirmed that the loan would automatically become permanent if certain clauses were triggered.

Now, the Express & Star understands that the £9.5million deal is set to be triggered on his appearances in a Wolves shirt. The number of appearances needed is understood to be very low and it is a matter of when, and not if, Traore signs permanently.

The midfielder has already played nine games for Wolves and with the second half of the season to come, it is expected to be a formality that he stays with the club.

Any long-term injury could put that deal in jeopardy, while new head coach Julen Lopetegui will have his own ideas on how the team plays and who is involved.

However, it is understood that Wolves think highly of the Mali international, who they had scouted for some time before making a move for him in the summer and he is expected to stay with the club.

After his performances in his first nine games for Wolves, which included a superb winning goal against Leeds in the Carabao Cup, it is expected that the midfielder will sign for the club permanently and be an integral part of the squad.

Wolves considered a move for Traore all summer and finally leaped at the chance late on, only completing the move on deadline day.

Club officials flew to France to secure the deal and put Traore through a medical, before the deal was publicly announced later that evening.

He was limited to substitute appearances in the early stages of his Wolves career as he got up to speed with the Premier League, before being handed his first start away at Crystal Palace on October 18.

Traore is still slightly haphazard and raw, but has shown plenty of energy and aggression – something the Wolves midfield has missed for some time.

The attributes he has shown, alongside his ability to improve and progress, has left Wolves pleased with his contribution so far.

He is also taking English lessons to help him integrate more with the squad and settle in his new surroundings.