Ivorian Traore heads for Melbourne Victory

Côte d'Ivoire defender Adama Traore has left troubled A-League club Gold Coast United to sign a two-year deal with Melbourne Victory. Traore, 22, has made 56 appearances for Gold Coast, scoring three goals, and has developed into one of the most exciting young players in the competition since his arrival in Australia ahead of the 2009/10 season. "I'm excited to be moving to Melbourne Victory and look forward to taking the next step in my football career," Traore said. "I'm very grateful to everyone at Gold Coast United and have made some good friends through some tough times, but I felt this opportunity was the right move for me." Melbourne Victory coach Jim Magilton said he was eager to see the Ivorian in action next season. "Adama is someone who caught my eye the very first time I saw him play," he said. "He's a very quick left-sided player, he's also a handful going forward, so I expect him to be a real asset to the team." Football Federation Australia have terminated mining billionaire owner Clive Palmer's licence of Gold Coast United for contravening competition regulations, and taken over the operation of the last-placed club for the remaining rounds of the A-League season.