Journalist claims C’Ship club approaching senior WBA ace would be no surprise
Derby County have emerged as a potential suitor for West Brom forward Charlie Austin with one week remaining in this window.
Premier League and EFL clubs have an extended deadline for deals between the two, so the Rams could take their time with this one.
The Athletic have reported that the Baggies are willing to listen to offers for Austin, who has yet to feature in the Premier League.
Derbyshire Live journalist Steve Nicholson has claimed that it would be no surprise to see the Championship club make an approach.
“Like with Aston Villa’s Keinan Davis, it would not come as a surprise if Derby have asked about Charlie Austin,” he wrote.
Looking at Derby’s start to the season, a striker looks like exactly what they need – not picking up a single point and only scoring once in three games.
With Wayne Rooney playing deeper, Jack Marriott appears to be the only option available to Phillipe Cocu in the final third right now.
West Brom are still looking to bring in another striker in this window, and with Callum Robinson and Hal Robson-Kanu both scoring frequently – he is clearly third in the pecking order.
Slaven Bilic’s selections have also highlighted that Austin is no longer part of his plans, with the 31-year-old missing completely against both Everton and Chelsea.
Austin is currently one of the highest earners at the Hawthorns on £70,000-a-week [Spotrac] and getting that money off the wage bill will help the Baggies bring in another forward.
In other West Brom news, Baggies set to complete another signing on Monday
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