Wolves are set to sign Middlesbrough's Adama Traore before Thursday's deadline in a deal that could be worth £26m, despite the wingers £18m release clause.

The speedy Spaniard has been linked with a move to Wanderers for the past few weeks as Nuno Espirito Santo looks to boost his squad ahead of their Premier League campaign.

And, Traore is a prime target and is available for £18m due to a clause in his contract.

However, Wolves are reluctant to pay such a fee up front, so are instead trying to negotiate a deal with Boro that will see payments staggered across his contract, as is the case with most deals.

Yet, they will have to pay more to do such a deal, with TEAMtalk reporting that an agreement of around £26m should be reached by Thursday's deadline.

The Black Country outfit are worried about potentially breaching FFP regulations, which is why they are prepared to stagger the payments over a longer spell.

Whether Boro accept remains to be seen, as they desperately want to keep Traore and have already sold Ben Gibson and Patrick Bamford in this window.

The Verdict

This new structured deal could suit all parties. Firstly, Boro will be getting a bigger fee for a player that can leave for £18m.

Meanwhile, Wolves clearly think this would benefit them with regards FFP too, whilst Traore gets a Premier League move.

This saga has gone on and on for weeks now and it will finally come to a conclusion in the next few days.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.