West Brom struggling to move on unwanted winger Callum McManaman
Albion are struggling to offload unwanted winger Callum McManaman, having received no interest in him so far this summer.
McManaman has been exiled by head coach Tony Pulis for the past 18 months but still has a year left on his Albion contract.
He spent the second half of last season on loan at Sheffield Wednesday, but the 26-year-old struggled to hold down a starting place at Hillsborough.
There was no option to buy him included in the deal and the Owls have not contacted the Baggies about keeping him next season.
As it stands, McManaman is due to report back for duty at Albion’s training ground in Walsall with the rest of the squad on Monday, July 3.
The Baggies are short on numbers, having lost skipper Darren Fletcher to Stoke, and the issue has worsened this international break after injuries to Hal Robson-Kanu, Gareth McAuley, and James Morrison, who has damaged is medial knee ligaments.
It means the Baggies only have 11 senior outfield players fit at the moment, but Pulis still wants to sell McManaman, who he hasn’t played for more than a year.
The 26-year-old, who was the 2013 FA Cup final man of the match, does not do enough defensive work for the Baggies head coach.
He was Pulis’s first purchase as Albion boss, and cost £4.75million in January 2015, but the Baggies are now willing to sell him for less than that in order to remove him from the wage bill.
McManaman is also desperate to leave, having grown increasingly frustrated at the way his career has drifted over the past year and a half. But no club has approached the Baggies yet with an exit route.
Albion are stepping up their efforts to replace Fletcher in midfield, and Pulis is reportedly interested in Everton’s James McCarthy, who will cost more than £15million.
The 26-year-old midfielder is good friends with James McClean, having represented the Republic of Ireland alongside him.
However, Albion are not interested in Burnley midfielder Scott Arfield, as reported elsewhere.
Nor are they looking to sign Celtic and Scotland striker Leigh Griffiths, who has been linked with a move south of the border.
