Matheus Pereira will not make West Brom return this month

The 26-year-old Brazilian was a huge hit during his two years in the Black Country, initially on loan before the deal was made permanent.

But the talented attacker moved on from Albion, following relegation from the Premier League, in August 2021 to join Saudi Arabia outfit Al Hilal for a reported £12.8million.

His time in the Middle East, however, has not gone to plan and looks set to come to an end less than two years into a bumper five-year deal. Pereira has struggled to make an impression at Asia's most decorated outfit and scored just three goals in 42 appearances in all competitions.

Speculation and media reports that Al Hilal are ready to terminate Pereira's contract – an update the player himself Tweeted was "fake news" – has led to Albion fans hoping the creative attacker could possibly return to The Hawthorns to join Carlos Corberan's promotion-chasers.

But such a move will not be possible as Pereira will not be permitted to return to England for work as he does not have the required Governing Body Endorsement (GBE) points to play professionally on these shores.

It is thought Pereira would not have accrued such points in the Saudi Professional League, thus making a return impossible. The promotion-winning former Baggies player of the season would instead be required to play in another region, potentially in South America or in Portugal, where he is a citizen, to gather the required points.

The GBE proposal was submitted to the government by the FA and approved by the Home Office in 2021 to cover post-Brexit laws surrounding players arriving from overseas.

The system is a point-based criteria consisted of senior and youth international appearances, quality of the selling club, based on the league they are in, league position and progression in continental competition and club appearances, based on domestic league and continental competition minutes.

Pereira's Albion exit was a controversial one. The former Sporting youngster managed 20 goals in two seasons, including a brace in the 3-2 top flight win at Wolves, but eventually stated his desire to leave the club after relegation, saying he felt "disrespected".

New boss Valerien Ismael confirmed Pereira would leave The Hawthorns, stating the Brazilian was "not committed to the Championship and not committed to us", something the attacker claimed was "extremely wrong".

Pereira has not been a stranger to The Hawthorns since his exit and was back in the stands watching a game and mixing with supporters earlier this season.

Baggies chief executive Ron Gourlay revealed yesterday the club are looking to bring in 'one, maybe two' players this month, with Albion linked to host of loan moves for midfield players. Gourlay also confirmed exits could be possible this month.