West Brom in talks to sell player who wants to stay at Hawthorns – report
West Brom are in talks to sell striker Charlie Austin to Derby County but the ex-Southampton player wants to stay at The Hawthorns, according to the Express & Star.
The newspaper claims that Austin, 31, wants to stay and fight for his place in Slaven Bilic’s squad after failing to make any of the Albion manager’s last three matchday squads in the Premier League.
Austin has been used by Bilic in the Carabao Cup but was thoroughly underwhelming in the win against Harrogate Town and did not have much time to impress when he came off the bench late on in the defeat to Brentford.
It has been widely reported that Bilic wants to sign a new striker before the transfer window closes for good and Huddersfield’s Karlan Grant is understood to be the Croatian’s number one target.
If Austin is struggling for game-time now, then he’s bound to struggle even more if a new centre-forward is brought in before the domestic transfer window closes on October 16.
However, the ex-QPR striker wants to stay and the Express & Star has reported that he will need to be convinced to leave The Hawthorns to join Derby as they discuss a potential move for him.
Austin only started 18 Championship matches for the Baggies last season but did finish the promotion-winning campaign as the club’s top-goalscorer with 11 goals in all competitions.
He’s been widely criticised by fans for not having the impact that everyone hoped he would have in the Black Country but there’s no denying that he’s popped up with some big goals for the club.
Austin scored late winners from the penalty spot against Sheffield Wednesday and Preston while also coming off the bench to score twice in a huge 3-2 win away at local rivals Birmingham City in December.
Without those goals, West Brom might not be a Premier League club right now.
In other West Brom news, Albion are eyeing up a move for this Bournemouth striker.
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.