Blues eye hot Traore
CHELSEA are in pole position to finalise a £30million deal with Middlesbrough for Adama Traore.
Boro will fight to retain the Spanish Under-21 star, who has shone under manager Tony Pulis.
Boro are still hoping to secure promotion via the play-offs, but, even if they go up, it will be a struggle to hold on to the winger, who was with Barcelona and Aston Villa before joining the Teessiders.
Everton and Newcastle have also been linked with 22-year-old Traore, who would love another crack at the top flight after limited chances with Boro and Villa. But Chelsea are favourites and have long been leading the chase. MO SALAH has decided Liverpool’s fans will come first when he is crowned the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year this week. The 43-goal Egyptian forward has opted to attend his club’s annual awards ceremony at Anfield on Thursday evening before flying to London to be honoured at the FWA’s gala dinner.
Sunday Mirror Sport understands that arrangements are being made for either a private jet or helicopter to fly Salah (left) 200 miles south once he has thanked Liverpool fans in person for their outstanding support this season.
He is expected to be named the club’s player of the season after a sensational debut year, which will end with the Reds facing Real Madrid in this month’s Champions League Final in Kiev.
But the 25-year-old also recognises the prestige that comes with being the first African player to win the FWA award in its 70-year history.
Salah will follow in the footsteps of 12 previous Liverpool winners, including Kenny Dalglish, Ian Rush, Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez.
Suarez was unable to collect his prize in 2014 because he was preparing for the World Cup with Uruguay. So, when Salah told the club he wanted to be in Liverpool and London on the same night, they agreed to pick up the tab to fly him to the capital.