With West Bromwich Albion preparing to return to the Championship in August, it could turn out to be a busy summer of transfer activity at the Hawthorns.
Despite the fact that the Baggies have yet to appoint a new manager, they have already opted to launch an overhaul of their squad by cutting ties with seven senior players.
As a result of this particular decision, West Brom are now short of options up-front as they can no longer call upon the services of Charlie Austin and Hal Robson-Kanu.
Meanwhile, fellow forward Mbaye Diagne is set to return to Galatasaray when his loan spell with the Baggies expires later this month.
Whilst West Brom are still able to call upon the likes of Karlan Grant and Callum Robinson, it is hardly a shock that they have been linked with a move for one of the stand-out performers in League One last season.
According to The Sun, the Baggies are amongst a clutch a Championship clubs who are reportedly interested in signing Jerry Yates from Blackpool.
It is understood that the Tangerines are unwilling to sell the forward unless a team can match their £5m valuation this summer.
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With Blackburn Rovers, Nottingham Forest and Bristol City all looking to bolster their attacking options by swooping for Yates, West Brom will need to act quickly if they are to seal a deal.
A key player for Blackpool during the previous campaign, the 24-year-old managed to net 21 league goals in 47 appearances as he helped his side clinch promotion to the second-tier via the play-offs.
Yates also illustrated a great deal of creativity as he provided his team-mates with nine assists in all competitions.
Considering that the forward's current deal at Bloomfield Road is not set to expire until 2023, Blackpool know that they will be able to seal a considerable fee this summer if they opt to cash in on him.
GIVEMESPORT's Joshua Cole says...
This would unquestionably be a fantastic signing by West Brom if they can convince Yates to make the move to the Hawthorns in the coming months.
Whilst the forward has only scored one goal at Championship level during his career, he made considerable strides in terms of his development last season and is currently playing the best football of his career.
As well as averaging a relatively impressive WhoScored match rating of 6.92 in the third-tier, Yates ranked in the top-five at Blackpool for shots per game (1.9), key passes (1.5 per match) and successful dribbles (0.9 per match).
Providing that the Baggies do indeed decide to splash the cash on Yates, his arrival may force the likes of Robinson and Grant to step up their performance levels next season which in turn could have a positive impact on the club's fortunes in the second-tier.
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