Bertrand Traore joins Istanbul Basaksehir on season-long loan from Aston Villa
Aston Villa have confirmed that Bertrand Traore has joined Turkish side Istanbul Basaksehir on a season-long loan from the club.
Traore joined from Olympique Lyonnais in the summer of 2020 in a £17m deal and was expected to help the club push on towards Europe with his goalscoring prowess from out wide.
However he managed just eight goals in 48 appearances for the club in all competitions and has been allowed to leave with Steven Gerrard not counting on him for the current campaign.
Villa have already got Danny Ings, Ollie Watkins, Philippe Coutinho, Leon Bailey, Emiliano Buendia and Cameron Archer at the club and there are plans to bring in another attacker before the window closes.
The club were close to signing Ismaila Sarr from Watford, with the player even undergoing a medical, but that has now collapsed over a disagreement on personal terms and the structure of the deal.
Bon Voyage
Traore was a signing that created plenty of excitement when it initially happened because he was coming from a club that played European football regularly and brought goals from out wide.
However the pace of the league, the physicality and the fact that he is quite one dimensional as a winger meant it never really worked out.
He fell way down the pecking order after Gerrard arrived at the club and with so many options it made sense for all parties to allow him to leave, even temporarily so he can play elsewhere.
Istanbul will play in the Europa Conference League this season should they overcome Antwerp in the qualifying round later this week, meaning a return to European competition for the Burkina Faso international.
The 26-year-old will be available to make his debut in that game, while Villa head to Bolton on Tuesday night in the Carabao Cup second round without him.
In other Aston Villa news, deal for Ismaila Sarr collapses at the last minute according to John Percy