West Brom want £2m-rated goalkeeper hailed by pundits as best in Euro league – report
West Brom are interested in signing £2million-rated NK Lokomotiva goalkeeper Ivo Grbic, according to the Express & Star.
Croatian news outlet Slobodna Dalmacija has recently reported that Slaven Bilic is impressed by what he has seen of the 24-year-old goalkeeper in the last year as he helped Lokomotiva secure qualification to the Champions League last season.
Now, the Express & Star say that Grbic is seen as someone who can provide “genuine competition” for Sam Johnstone’s number one spot at The Hawthorns.
It is understood that the former Hadjuk Split shot-stopper “has been hailed by pundits as the best shot-stopper in the Croatian First League”, which bodes well as Albion try to strengthen an area of the squad that has been criticised in the last couple of seasons.
Johnstone started every Championship match for the Baggies while they were in the Championship and although the ex-Aston Villa goalkeeper helped Albion win promotion, he has struggled to win over the majority of the club’s support.
It remains to be seen how he will cope in the Premier League against better and more clinical strikers but Grbic is someone who would also be taking a similar step up if he was to move to West Brom this summer as he’s never played outside of Croatia.
West Brom’s scouting department might get a good idea of how he’d play against top sides in the coming weeks though as NK Lokomotiva prepare to play in the qualifying rounds of the Champions League.
When Slobodna Dalmacija first linked Grbic with the Baggies, they said that Lokomotiva would only consider selling him after their qualifying campaign is over.
Bilic and Luke Dowling could make a decision later in the summer but they still need to address the futures of players like Jonathan Bond and Alex Palmer first with Bond out of contract and Palmer being someone who could be loaned out.
In other West Brom news, Albion have seen a loan bid for this £9million-rated player rejected.
Be sure to follow West Brom News on Facebook and Twitter for 24/7 updates on the Baggies and more exclusive interviews with Kevin Phillips.