"He made a great effort to play here" - Joan Laporta suggests Adama Traore took pay cut to seal Barcelona return

Joan Laporta has suggested that Adama Traore has taken a pay cut from Wolves to join Barcelona on loan until the end of the season.

The La Masia graduate moved to Camp Nou late in the January transfer window, and will reportedly earn just €60k-a-month as per Victor Malo (h/t Tribuna).

That’s a big drop from what he was earning at Wolves; €225k-a-month. Subsequently, Barcelona did not have any issues registering him in January.

Laporta revealed that Traore made a "great effort" to join the Blaugrana and could become a permanent player if he performs well on the pitch.

"We've an option to buy clause included into the Adama Traoré deal with Wolves and our plan is to trigger that clause. It’s on him - he made a great effort [on salary] to play here at Barça."

Traore will hope to play a key role for Barcelona in the second half of the season

The Catalan giants had a torrid first half of the season. Their form in La Liga fluctuated, and they were knocked out of the Champions League as well.

Barca needed to add more quality, and they did that in January. The question is whether or not the likes of Traore and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang can help turn their season around.

Traore is already looking forward to playing under Xavi and he revealed some of the tactical titbits of playing under the Spaniard.

"What he has asked of the wingers…to demonstrate my talent, one on one, overlap, unbalance, try to score goals, and various things that he asks of us. What’s most important is to be competitive independent of the rival, to win and go with everything," Traore revealed in his introductory press conference.

Barcelona are currently fifth in La Liga, a point behind Atletico Madrid, who occupy fourth position. Missing out on Champions League football would be a massive blow, so the likes of Traore and Aubameyang need to hit the ground running.

The Blaugrana will next play Atletico Madrid in the league this Saturday and will hope to overtake them in the points table.