Aston Villa bombshell: Xia confirms reports £60,000-a-week player wants to quit this month

By Harry Sykes

Adama Traore has told Aston Villa that he wants to quit the club, owner Tony Xia has confirmed.

The Birmingham Mail reported on Wednesday night that the former Barcelona winger held talks with manager Roberto Di Matteo earlier this week and informed him of his desire to leave this month.

It is said Di Matteo spoke to the player after the 3-0 win over Rotherham last weekend and subsequently left Traore out of the matchday squad for the 1-1 draw with Huddersfield on Tuesday night.

Di Matteo was hoping to get the best out of the 20-year-old this season and even tried to convince him to stick around and play a part in the club's promotion push.

But it is reported that the £7million signing from Barcelona is likely to have played his last game for Villa as they prepare to listen to offers.

Villa fans besieged Xia with message after the Birmingham Mail report and the club owner admitted on his personal Twitter account on Wedneday night that Traore is "not happy staying at Villa" and wants to leave.

Former Villa owner owner Randy Lerner shelled out £7million for the Barca teenager last August, with a further £5million agreed in potential add-ons.

The Sun claim that the Midlands club handed Traore a staggering £60,000-a-week basic salary, rising to £100,000 a week if he managed to keep Villa in the Premier League.

Since moving from the Catalan giants a year ago, Traore has made 12 league appearances but is yet to start a single league game or complete a full game.

The seldom-seen winger has only managed one start for the club, a 5-3 League Cup win against Notts County.

In other Aston Villa transfer news, this £50,000-a-week defender is holding talks of a transfer.