Conte dealt blow with Barca set to beat Spurs to Traore signing

Tottenham boss Antonio Conte has suffered a huge transfer blow with Barcelona set to steal top target Adama Traore from under his nose before Monday’s deadline.

Spurs are now focusing on an ambitious swoop for Porto forward Luis Diaz — but the disappointment of missing out on the Wolves winger hit the Premier League club hard yesterday.

Traore had been earmarked by Conte and Tottenham’s recruitment team, and there was confidence that a deal could be concluded. Talks between Spurs and Wolves were held for weeks with the expectation that Traore would move to north London.

The Molineux club valued Traore at around £26million — but there was a feeling at Spurs that they could get him for around £20m. Traore’s contract expires at the end of the next season and Spurs believed they had enough leverage to secure a lower price.

During talks Tottenham tried to use Matt Doherty, who only signed from Wolves at the start of last season, as a makeweight in the deal — but Bruno Lage wasn’t interested in bringing the Republic of Ireland international back.

Spurs also tried to convince Wolves to let them have Traore on loan with an obligation to buy permanently in the summer, but that didn’t prove successful.

Last week Tottenham made a £15m offer for Traore, but sources insisted yesterday the north London club did not formally bid for the 26-year-old.

Discussions continued over the weekend with a view to coming to a resolution this week but Spurs have now been gazumped by the Catalan club.

Incredibly, Barca have managed to secure a loan for Traore without an obligation to buy permanently in the summer, though they will cover his entire salary until the end of the season.

And it is understood Traore had his heart set on a move back to the