EFL aiding West Brom in Louie Barry fight
Albion have joined forces with the EFL as they battle Barcelona for the money owed to them for former youngster Louie Barry.
England youth international Barry rejected a three-year contract at The Hawthorns to join the Catalan giants back in July.
But he has since left Spain for Villa – with Albion’s rivals stumping a fee of around 1m euros, or £880,000, to sign the teenager.
Under FIFA’s compensation tariffs for players that move abroad, Barcelona owe Albion £235,000 for luring Barry to the club’s famed La Masia academy.
But they have yet to stump up any cash and have refused to engage with the Baggies hierarchy or show any willingness to settle the bill voluntarily.
Back in September, the Express & Star revealed Albion were considering reporting Barcelona to FIFA over their refusal to pay for the teenager.
Albion have since been in dialogue with the world governing body but the time it takes to gather evidence means they have yet to submit any written evidence.
That evidence, though, will be submitted shortly and has been put together with the help of the EFL who are supporting Albion in their quest to get the money they are owed.
The Baggies have also been in contact with lawyers to determine if Barcelona were legally able to sell Barry despite having not paid the compensation they owe.
Meanwhile, Albion remain in talks with promising forwards Kyle Edwards and Rayhaan Tulloch as they look to secure the pair on long-term deals.
Edwards has featured 24 times for the Baggies this season and has impressed from the bench in the last two outings against Newcastle and Swansea.
While his current deal expires at the end of the campaign, Albion have the option to trigger a 12-month extension to keep him at The Hawthorns for a further year.
But they are also in talks with Edwards over a new, long-term, deal.
Tulloch also has a new contract offer on the table having previously rejected one deal to remain at the club.
The 19-year-old also sees his current deal expire in the summer, however, Albion will be due compensation if he moves on.
The teenager is believed to have been watched by Rangers, Villa, Bournemouth, Southampton, Newcastle and Sunderland whilst playing for the Baggies’ under-23s this season.
