PROFILE | Hamari Traoré: Linked with Barcelona, Rennes’ right-back shows no signs of slowing down | OneFootball

This profile is taken from the 2022 GFFN 100, Get Football’s leading publication to be released at the end of the month, counting down French football’s 100 best players in 2022.

Links to Barcelona this summer will have startled more than a few outsiders, but a closer look shows that Mali captain Hamari Traoré’s form last season may well have warranted a prospective move to the Catalan giants.

Traoré has been a crucial part of Bruno Génésio’s attacking-minded set-up at Rennes. Having chipped in with three goals himself last year, on top of his ten assists, Traoré has proven to be a tireless operator on the right flank and is adept both defensively and going forward. The 30-year-old featured in virtually every game last term, barring an AFCON absence for the month of January – which coincided with a downturn in form for Rennes. The team would ultimately finish in a disappointing fourth place, having challenged for a Champions League spot during much of the season, but the right-back’s stock remained as high as ever.

The Mali international has continued that form into the new season, setting aside any potential disappointment over his lack of a summer move. There have been a few lapses – the red card against Fenerbahçe in an otherwise solid Europa League campaign comes to mind – but, this year, Traoré has looked just as important to a Rennes side now aiming to go one better.

The Breton team’s captain, whose contract, as it stands, expires at the end of the season, has been on the radars of clubs from across the continent for several years now. Paris Saint-Germain had an eye on him as far back as 2020, with more recent interest coming from the likes of Borussia Dortmund and Marseille. Formerly of Reims – where he first got a taste of Ligue 1 action – the defender made his first steps in European football at Paris FC before a two-year stint at Lierse in Belgium. It’s his time at Rennes, though, which has decidedly shaped his career. This is his sixth season at the Roazhon Park.

Traoré himself has indicated that a contract extension is not currently being discussed with the club, and it appears inevitable that links to a move will resurface in January. But, when he does leave, the 30-year-old will be doing so on more than favourable terms with a Breton fanbase who have had the pleasure of watching arguably Ligue 1’s finest right-back of recent seasons.