West Ham United and Newcastle United have both been linked with the Middlesbrough man recently.
Traore had the opportunity to showcase his talent for Middlesbrough in the play-offs against Aston Villa last night, but he failed to take his chance.
The rapid winger was quiet over both legs, as Boro failed to score against Villa.
And Merson now feels that the likes of Newcastle and West Ham should think again about making moves for the Middlesbrough man.
He said: “If I was watching Traore today and was going to buy him for £30 odd million, I would be going away thinking I’m not sure about that.
“He didn’t really show any guile for me. There was a goal kick and everybody came across, just stay out! Take a chance. There was no cleverness there.”
The former Barcelona man has been one of the Championship’s most dangerous attackers this campaign, and has caught the eye of scouts from West Ham and Newcastle.
Both the Hammers and the Magpies are known to want to increase the productivity of their attacks for next campaign.
West Ham and Newcastle both stayed up in the Premier League this season, but there is a realisation that they need more quality injected in to their squads over the summer to achieve their aims next term.
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