Brentford striker Neal Maupay has emerged as a target for West Bromwich Albion, it has been reported.
The Baggies are in the market to sign another forward as Dwight Gayle and Jay Rodriguez have left the club, while Salomon Rondon has all but sealed a reunion with Rafa Benitez in China.
West Brom will have to compete with Aston Villa and Sheffield United, as per Express & Star, and considering they can offer Maupay Premier League football, the Baggies are in the back seat at the moment.
It has also been reported that West Brom will have to shell out £20 million to sign Maupay, who only finished behind Teemu Pukki in the Championship goalscoring charts last season.
Albion finished fourth in the Championship last season, and new manager Slaven Bilic needs to be back with money to spend as they need to replace the Gayle shaped hole in the squad pretty soon before the season begins.
West Brom need a player like Neal Maupay
Without Gayle and Rodriguez, Albion already lack depth upfront. Their woes are likely to increase as Rondon is also expected to leave the Hawthorns this summer.
Maupay could be a huge signing for the Baggies. Despite his age, he has accumulated plenty of experience under his belt, and is a consistent goal-scorer in the Championship.
Prior to establishing himself as a valuable asset for the Bees, Maupay had played for French sides Nice and Saint-Etienne.
He was in a red-hot form last season as he plundered 25 goals and also registered 8 assists in 43 Championship outings, which is why he has no dearth of admirers this season, as teams are even willing to take a punt on him and take him to the Premier League.
The Frenchman is a clinical forward, and knows exactly where the goal is. He can hold the ball well in the final third and bring his teammates into the equation as well.
More often than not, he pops up in the right area at the right time, and his positional awareness is one of the main reasons for the rapid development.
However, Bilic’s side cannot compete with the financial muscle of the Premier League clubs or the fact that a chance to play in the top-flight will undoubtedly tempt Maupay, so the ball isn’t in their court at the moment.
