MILAN, Jan 18, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Napoli have signed Ivory Coast midfielder Hamed Traore on loan from Bournemouth, the struggling Serie A champions announced on Wednesday.

In a statement, Napoli said they have brought in Traore until the end of the season with an option to buy.

Italian media report that Napoli, eighth in Serie A, will have to pay 25 million euros ($27 million) to make the move permanent.

Traore returns to Italy a year after being loaned and eventually sold by Sassuolo to Premier League club Bournemouth, where he struggled for game time.

The 23-year-old, who has nine caps for his country, missed out on the Africa Cup of Nations after being hospitalised with malaria late last year.