WBA plan £3.5m move for Leicester and Norwich target

Demarai Gray: Backed to make Leicester City impression by Gary Rowett

Demarai Gray: Backed to make Leicester City impression by Gary Rowett

West Brom are reportedly set to meet Demarai Gray’s £3.5m release clause at Birmingham when the transfer window opens in January.

Albion boss Tony Pulis went to watch the highly-rated Blues winger in action last week as his side were sent tumbling out of the Capital One Cup following a defeat to local rivals Aston Villa.

Gray was the subject of interest from Leicester and Bournemouth over the summer, with Blues opting to keep the winger despite both clubs meeting his then £4.75million release clause.

But after failing to sign a new deal at St Andrew’s, Gray’s existing contract sees his exit fee drop to just £3.5million in January – and the Daily Telegraph claims Pulis is ready to make his move.

WBA winger hunt

Albion missed out on a number of wingers in the last window, including Queens Park Rangers’ Matt Phillips and Nottingham Forest’s Michail Antonio – who subsequently joined West Ham – but Gray has been scouted by the club for the past 12 months.

Norwich are also reportedly keen on the England Under-20 international, while Liverpool have an option to match any bid before personal terms are discussed.

Pulis is keen to make at least four new signings in January amid concerns over the size and strength of his squad.

He said: “The squad is small but we have brought some good players in. It’s not as strong as we wanted to and we certainly haven’t strengthened in certain areas where we were desperate to strengthen in.

“We hope we can bring four or five others in to add to the lads that we’ve got.”