Wolves could sign Francisco Trincao permanently in a swap deal with Adama Traore if his form picks up to the end of the season, according to transfer expert Pete O'Rourke.

The Lowdown: Up-and-down loan spell

The 22-year-old joined Wanderers on loan last summer, having been deemed surplus to requirements by Barcelona, for the time being at least.

Trincao looked impressive in the early weeks of the season - John Ruddy described him as 'very smooth' - but in truth, his performance has tailed off a little, with no goals or assists coming his way in 19 Premier League appearances.

The hope is that he makes a bigger impact between now and May and it could be decisive in terms of his long-term future.

The Latest: Journalist backs permanent move

Speaking to Give Me Sport, O'Rourke claimed that he could see a scenario where Trincao heads to Wolves permanently as Traore goes the other way to Barcelona for good:

"I think it’s fair to say Trincao has obviously got talent. If he has a good end to the season, I think Wolves will maybe look more favourably on a swap deal.

"But if it doesn’t end too well for Trincao, maybe they might look elsewhere to replace Traore and get that money from Barcelona if they can."

The Verdict: Is it worth it?

At 22, it is important not to judge Trincao too harshly in his first season in England, but he has flattered to deceive in a Wolves shirt, with his aforementioned statistics summing him up - plenty of talent, no end product.

While he could end up thriving at Molineux if they signed him permanently, it could be argued that there are more prolific options out there ahead of the summer window, as O'Rourke alludes to.

Not only that but Pedro Neto will be back in the team soon, and assuming he returns the same player as before, he will further limit Trincao's hopes of being a key man into the future.

In other news, Tim Spiers is delighted at one 'amazing' official Wolves update. Read more here.