West Brom face having to up £21m bid to land Ben Gibson
Albion would have to significantly increase a club record bid for Ben Gibson to have any chance of snapping up the Middlesbrough defender.
The Baggies launched a third offer for the 24-year-old over the weekend, worth £18million up front plus £3million in add-ons.
That bid was rejected by the Teessiders, who dropped down to the Championship last season, with chairman Steve Gibson – Ben’s uncle – understood to only want to sell to a top-six Premier League side.
Tottenham Hotspur are keeping tabs on Gibson, but a move is thought to depend on whether or not they sell Kevin Wimmer.
Gibson started all 38 of Boro's league games last season, and earned a first England senior call-up back in March.
Sources declined to comment when asked about him and a potential permanent deal for Marc Wilson, who spent the second half of last season on loan at The Hawthorns from top-flight rivals Bournemouth.
The fee for Wilson, 29, would be around £1million but Sunderland are also reportedly interested in the Republic of Ireland international.
Albion are keen to get two deals over the line soon after flying home last night from the Premier League Asia Trophy pre-season tournament in Hong Kong.
Boss Tony Pulis has ruled out one of those being Kieran Gibbs – the Arsenal and England full-back who the Baggies reportedly bid £10m for.
He said: “We won’t be signing Kieran Gibbs.
“We have to look for players that fit what we want to do and the way we want to play."
Watford are now the favourites to land 27-year-old Gibbs, who made his Gunners debut nearly a decade ago.
The Baggies are also thought to be on the lookout for a midfielder to replace former skipper Darren Fletcher, who moved to Stoke earlier this window.
Pulis had targeted former Villa stars Fabian Delph and Gareth Barry, but Stoke are reportedly closing in on a £10million move for Delph while Albion's advances on Barry were rebuffed by Everton boss Ronald Koeman.
The Albion boss added: "We have three or four other targets we are desperate for.
“We are juggling with two at the moment and that’s not Gibbs.
“Hopefully by the time we get back home we will have done those two.”
