Reliable journalist shares concerning update on West Brom pursuit of Ollie Watkins
Brentford missing out on promotion will have been music to the ears of clubs such as West Brom and Leeds.
A number of the Bees players have excelled in the past year, with Ollie Watkins and Said Benrahma attracting massive interest.
The BBC recently reported that the Baggies are in the hunt alongside Aston Villa for Watkins, who has an £18million release clause.
That fee appears to be a bargain for the hard-working forward who found the net 25 times in the regular Championship season.
It could prove to be a bridge too far for the Albion though. The Athletic’s Steve Madeley has delivered a concerning update on their reported pursuit of the forward.
“Ollie Watkins of Brentford, who blew a late-season chance to pip West Brom to automatic promotion then lost the play-off final to Fulham, is an attractive option but his £18 million release clause is likely to prove too steep,” he wrote.
In times where Leeds are placing £22million bids for the likes of Ben White, West Brom fans will be slightly concerned that they can’t field similar offers to clubs.
Slaven Bilic will be desperate for a new forward, and Watkins fits the bill – so will he need to sell players first in order to place competitive offers on the table?
Reports suggest that Kenneth Zohore, Oliver Burke and Kieran Gibbs will be made available, so the Baggies could make a move for Watkins once they are sold.
With the window open until October after the late finish of last season, West Brom have plenty of time, but Bilic will want his new signings in early so they can hit the ground running in the Premier League.
In other West Brom news, Mark Jenkins details how much Baggies squad were paid in end-of-season bonuses after promotion