West Brom want to sign £3m-rated Brazilian defender, work permit no issue – report
West Brom and West Ham are battling each other to sign Basaksehir right-back Junior Caicara, according to The Sun.
The newspaper reports on their website that while Zenit St Petersburg are also interested in the 31-year-old Brazilian, he is keen on a move to the Premier League amid interest from the Baggies and the Hammers.
It is understood that Caicara would be available for £3million and as he has a Bulgarian passport, he would not have an issue getting a work permit in the UK.
Caicara is said to be an attack-minded right-back who can also play in a more advanced midfield role.
He made 44 appearances in all competitions last season, assisting seven goals in the process, for Basaksehir as they won the Turkish Super Lig title and reached the last 16 of the Europa League knock-out stages.
West Brom are bound to be trying to strengthen in almost every position this summer after winning promotion to the Premier League.
However, we don’t see the right-back position as a priority area that needs to be strengthened.
Slaven Bilic has Darnell Furlong and Dara O’Shea who can play at right-back, and neither of them really put a foot wrong in the Championship last season as they finished second.
If Bilic wants a new full-back, it is the left-hand side of the defence that needs to be bolstered first.
Caicara enjoyed a successful, title-winning season with Basaksehir last season but we just don’t see how spending £3million of a reported £25million budget on a 31-year-old player, who’s never played in the Premier League to fill a role that doesn’t need filling is good business.
In other West Brom news, Albion are set to announce the permanent signing of this loan star soon.
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