West Brom join Arsenal and Liverpool in race for £25m Sporting Lisbon star William Carvalho as Tony Pulis goes on scouting mission
Pulis was in Portugal on Saturday to watch his target having been keen on the international midfielder before
Sponsored by
WEST BROM have joined Arsenal and Liverpool in the race for £25m Sporting Lisbon star William Carvalho - as Tony Pulis went on a scouting mission.
Baggies boss Pulis was in Portugal on Saturday during a weekend off to watch his target play in the 1-1 draw with Benfica.
He has been keen on the international defensive midfielder before, as Sporting rejected a £20m offer from West Brom last summer, adamant he was not for sale.
But the report Sporting have softened their position, potentially why Pulis decided to travel to watch him play - a clear signal of his interest.
He is very much a "Pulis type" of player, a tall, strong defensive midfielder - with the boss wanting a top class player in that position this summer as they capitalise on a strong Premier League campaign.
most read in football
West Brom may have to break their transfer record for Carvalho - but of course have new Chinese owner Guochuan Lai willing to stump up that cash, with Pulis meeting him next month.
But Carvalho will know big guns Arsenal and Liverpool are keen on him and may choose to go down the more fashionable route rather than a spell in the midlands.
But Pulis is ambitious, and said after they lost 1-0 to Liverpool earlier this month: "If we want to push it on, which we do, then we have to try to get better.
"What this season has proved is that we do need that little bit more quality but we need a bit more depth as well and that’s important."
They are eyeing up the likes of Middlesbrough centre-half Ben Gibson who has been called up by England this year, as a statement of their intent.