Tottenham Hotspur are considering one final approach to West Bromwich Albion for their unsettled forward, Saido Berahino, as they seek to bolster their attacking ranks on the final day of the transfer window.
The England Under-21 striker had a transfer request rejected last week and has been omitted from his club’s last three matchday squads, against Chelsea, Port Vale and Stoke, with Tony Pulis suggesting the player is not in the right frame of mind.
The West Brom chairman, Jeremy Peace, has consistently stated Berahino will not be permitted to leave the Hawthorns in this window. Indeed, relations with Spurs have been strained by the issue. Yet Pulis has moved to prepare the ground should an agreement be struck late on and the manager will seek to reinvest in the squad immediately any money raised. To that end, fresh inquiries have already been lodged with Queens Park Rangers for Charlie Austin – who scored 18 top-flight goals last season and is also the subject of interest from Bournemouth – and Matt Phillips, with that pair likely to cost a similar combined amount to the £25m long mooted to be Berahino’s valuation.
Spurs remain eager to secure the 22-year-old, who scored 20 goals last season, but have infuriated Peace to date after submitting bids worth £18m and £22m for the player. The Baggies chairman has also been critical of the timing of those offers, much to Tottenham’s surprise, and made a point of meeting with Berahino at the club’s training ground last Thursday to reiterate he would not be leaving West Brom.
“I have spoken to Saido and of course I have sympathy for him,” said Peace last week in a statement. “He has been unsettled and distracted by all this and I understand that. But I have strongly advised him to put this behind him and get back to what he does best, which is to work hard for the team and score goals for Albion.”
It remains to be seen whether that stance mellows as the deadline approaches. West Brom have secured the goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard from Manchester United on a free transfer and a two-year contract, while they retain an interest in the Crystal Palace midfielders Joe Ledley and Mile Jedinak, one of whom may be permitted to leave Selhurst Park. Meanwhile West Brom have sold Brown Ideye to Olympiakos for an undisclosed fee.
Tottenham, true to form, are likely to be busy on the window’s final day. The London club, who have yet to win in the Premier League this season, have secured the South Korean Son Heung-min from Bayer Leverkusen but have been rebuffed with inquiries for Zenit St Petersburg’s Belgium international midfielder Axel Witsel, while Southampton continue to resist Victor Wanyama’s desire to leave St Mary’s for White Hart Lane.
Érik Lamela’s proposed move to either Internazionale or Marseille has failed to materialise, but the youngster Ismail Azzaoui has been permitted to depart for the Bundesliga club Wolfsburg.
