Traoré is in England on a student visa and, while he did also have a trial with Chelsea's academy last year, there were reports in 2010 that he was set to join the club despite competing interest from Manchester United. It is understood that he first came to the attention of Chelsea scouts for his performances in the Under-17 World Cup of 2009. He made his international debut in 2011 when he was just 15 in against Equatorial Guinea and, also that year, he was quoted saying that Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou had treated him like "a younger brother".
Mourinho believes that he is now ready to join the senior members of his Chelsea family. "Traoré we would like to keep," he said. "Those are the rules in England and we have to accept them. We'll have to wait until he becomes 18 to try to get the permit for him to stay in England. If it's not possible we have to let him go on loan somewhere.
"For a 17-year-old boy, sooner or later, the committee has to give him a permit to play in England. If he's playing for his country at the same time – one of the most important countries in African football – he'll get his deserved permit. So no dramas with it. It's fantastic for him to come here and play well for Chelsea."
Gary Cahill, the Chelsea defender, said that Traoré had also made a big impression in training. "I know the quality of the training we do and lads like Traoré have come into the games and not looked out of place, which is great," he said. "He's been working well with the manager for two weeks and scored a fantastic goal. He's composed on the ball and has great confidence for such a young lad."
Asked if he would now like to see Traoré join Chelsea, Cahill said: "I don't know the ins and outs of the situation, but he's certainly done himself no harm in the two weeks we've been away. We don't want to get carried away, but he's certainly not looked out of place in training alongside some top international players. He's a young lad, but I'm sure he's got a bright future at Chelsea."
Cahill also believes that Romelu Lukaku, who has scored four goals in three games during this Asia tour, is ready for first-team football at Chelsea next season.
"He has been flying in training," said Cahill. "I play against him in training a lot and he's a handful just with his pace and power. His finishing is great too. It's exciting times for him and I'm sure he's looking forward to the season."
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