Striker Devante Cole set for West Brom as long-serving Conor Townsend heads to Ipswich

Former Barnsley centre-forward Cole, 29, was released by the Tykes this summer after an impressive 18-goal campaign in League One as his previous club finished sixth.

The rangy striker started his career as a youngster at Manchester City more than a decade ago and has since turned out for Bradford and Fleetwood, among others, in the Football League. He enjoyed a decent campaign of 12 goals with Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership in 2020/21 and spent the last three seasons with Barnsley.

His last two seasons yielded a return of 16 and 18 goals in the third tier after two goals in 27 appearances in his debut Barnsley campaign, in the Championship.

Cole is Albion's first new forward recruit of the summer and is understood to have been brought in on a reasonable, affordable salary from a Baggies perspective, as top goalscorer over the last two campaigns Brandon Thomas-Asante is set to complete an exit to Hull City.

The club are aware of a threadbare squad as things stand with Thomas-Asante, Okay Yokuslu and Conor Townsend, regulars over recent seasons, all poised to depart with just a year left to run on their deals.

Left-back Townsend, 31, a member of Albion's leadership group, regular vice-captain and one of the longest-serving players is set for top-flight new-boys Ipswich Town.

Townsend made 46 appearances for Carlos Corberan's side last term as one of the squad's only recognised players in the left-sided defensive role, as has been the case for some time at The Hawthorns.

He checked in at Albion from Scunthorpe in 2018 and made 213 appearances for the club in all competitions.

It is understood the fee received the left-back is less than £1million and relative to a Championship full-back of Townsend's age in the final year of his deal.

Albion will look to recruit at left-back in his absence. New summer addition Torbjorn Heggem, the versatile Norwegian defender, can operate on the left.

Striker Cole fills one striker role but boss Corberan, who will have funds to reinvest from the exits of the three departures, is assessing other options following other exits earlier in the summer of those out of contract.

Albion's latest recruit, who is the son of former Manchester United and England man Andy, has 92 career goals in 367 senior career appearances, though just the sole campaign with Barnsley as regular football in the second tier.