Wolves winger Adama Traore is likely to stay put at the club this month and then leave during the summer, according to journalist Alex Crook.

The Lowdown: Traore in and out of the team

The Spaniard has had an up-and-down career at the club, finding himself loaned out to Barcelona last season and not always managing to be a regular starter at Molineux.

This season, Traore has only started seven of Wolves' 20 Premier League matches, scoring just once in that time and registering no assists - a far cry from the 2019/20 campaign in which he started 27 top-flight games and helped himself to 13 goal contributions.

There has been speculation this month surrounding the 27-year-old's future, although one observer feels that Wolves may be happy to take a loss on the £18m that they paid for him in 2018, with his contract set to expire in June.

The Latest: Summer exit predicted

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Crook claimed that Traore would remain at Wolves for now but then leave at the end of the season, rather than the club cashing in on him this month in order to avoid losing him on a free transfer.

The talkSPORT presenter said:

"You’ve got Adama Traore, who a lot of people, including myself, thought that Wolves might sell last summer and again, this window.

"I think they’re more keen, say, rather than getting a nominal fee for him in January, actually keeping him; he can play a bit of a part in them staying up and then be allowed to leave on a free transfer."

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The Verdict: Right time to leave

This seems like the perfect scenario for Wolves, retaining Traore's services for the remainder of the season, and therefore keeping squad depth in their battle to avoid relegation.

It then makes complete sense to let him leave, though, with the £55,000-per-week winger now 27 and still the same hit-and-miss player, scoring only 13 times in 177 appearances in total for the club.

While Traore's pace and power can render him unplayable on his day  - Andy Townsend has described him as 'devastating' - Julen Lopetegui is seemingly another manager who doesn't fully trust him, considering his aforementioned lack of starts.

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