CHERRIES have completed a move for Sassuolo midfielder Hamed Traore.

The Ivory Coast midfielder arrives initially on loan, with the club obligated to pay a reported fee of £21million, plus potential add-ons.

Traore, 22, has signed a contract until the summer of 2028.

He becomes Cherries’ sixth signing of the January transfer window, following Dango Ouattara, Darren Randolph, Antoine Semenyo, Matias Vina and Illia Zabarnyi.

Traore, born in Abidjan, moved to Italy as a child and joined Empoli as a 15-year-old.

He came through the ranks of the Tuscany-based club, progressing into the first team and featuring 43 times.

During his spell at Empoli, Traore won the Serie B title in the 2017-18 campaign.

After a season in the top flight, Traore then saw a move to Fiorentina fall through. Instead he joined Sassuolo on a two-year loan deal in the summer of 2019, becoming a regular in the side.

That move became permanent in 2021, and last season he enjoyed his most productive campaign offensively, netting seven goals and providing four assists in 31 Serie A appearances.

Traore missed the start of this campaign with a foot injury but has since returned and featured in the past 11 matches, largely in an attacking midfield role.

In total, he has played 111 times for the ‘Watermelon Peel’.

Traore also has four senior caps for Ivory Coast, including one at last year’s Africa Cup of Nations.