Teamtalk claims that West Brom is “keeping tabs” on the potential of a move for Ben Brereton Diaz prior to the January transfer window.
On November 6, the website of the online publication revealed that Villarreal is willing to approve a loan transfer for the Chile international, and the Baggies are among several teams trying to capitalize on the situation.
The 24-year-old’s availability has reportedly put Burnley and Crystal Palace of the Premier League on “red alert,” with Albion and other Championship rivals Southampton and Leicester City also showing interest.
The former Blackburn Rovers man was highly sought-after during a “prolific” spell at Ewood Park, with 14 Championship goals last season and 22 the campaign before.
But his move to La Liga hasn’t followed suit, and he has gone goalless in 10 appearances across all competitions.
There was no shortage of interest from within the upper echelons of the Championship and the lower reaches of the Premier League in Brereton Diaz last term.
When he eventually signed with Villarreal on a four-year deal after a free transfer, it seemed like a slightly surprising move, but most would have still expected him to make a success of it in Spain all the same.
Clearly, he has found the going harder than anticipated, so while the attraction of Premier League options is obviously going to be hard to ignore, he may prefer to head back to a division he knows he can thrive in to regain his previous form.
Runaway league leaders Leicester appear to be in a league of their own at the moment, notwithstanding their defeat at home to Leeds United last Friday (3 November), but West Brom and Southampton are just a point and a place apart in fourth and third, respectively.
There is firepower to come back for Carlos Corberan, but, for now at least, there are greater opportunities on offer at The Hawthorns than at most of the top clubs in the Championship thanks to injuries.
Due to his unfortunate circumstances, Daryl Dike has missed the entire season so far. Although there are still great expectations for him, they are beginning to wane given the issues he has encountered since moving from Orlando City.
While Josh Maja has been out for more than a month and hasn’t shown much since joining on a free transfer, there is a good chance that West Brom, who are in position to make the playoffs, is Brereton Diaz’s best option in the event that it comes down to it, even though Grady Diangana and Brandon Thomas-Asante have been playing well lately.
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