West Brom have advantage in January signing race – And club open to a sale

West Brom were linked with William Carvalho over the weekend, with Real Betis prepared to sell the midfielder during the current window. Claims were seen in England, Portugal, and from TMW in Italy.

The 28-year-old had been a regular for Betis this season, until a minor recent muscle injury. Given they want to bring in their own new faces, the Seville club have been prepared to sell Carvalho because he’ll bring in a reasonable fee and his wages are relatively high.

Benfica were thought to be looking to sign the player, however, that’s turned into a very complicated situation given Carvalho’s former club is Sporting. For several years, the Lisbon club put clauses in sale contracts which meant further fees would have to be paid if players went on to join Benfica or Porto.

How enforceable that is remains to be seen, but it’s certainly an issue complicating the Portugal international moving to Benfica this month.

West Brom wouldn’t face this issue at all, making any move for them much easier, and presenting a clear advantage for Sam Allardyce should his club move for the player. That said, whether Carvalho would fancy a Premier League relegation fight could be another thing entirely.