Pulis: Saido can be new £30m signing

TONY Pulis reckons Saido Berahino can be like a £30 million new signing for Albion.

Berahino is back training with the Baggies after two stints at a fitness camp in France.

Depite the Saido saga rolling on throughout Pulis’ time at the club, the boss has still not given up hope of a “happy ending” for the striker.

Berahino is out of contract in the summer but Pulis revealed Albion chairman John Williams was still keen to extend the 23-year-old’s deal.

“If he comes back the way he was he will be like a new signing worth £30 million,” said Pulis (pictured). “The onus is on Saido. The onus, for me, has always been on players.

“The true happy ending would be that he signed a new contract for us and we would get him to the level he was when I first came into the club and we made the kid happy and he made us happy by scoring 20 goals a season.

“I believe John is still desperate to get the kid signed, yes.

“I think, in hindsight, if you look back to that offer from Tottenham lots of things could have been done differently.

“But hindsight is a wonderful thing. We didn’t accept them so what has happened has happened so we have to deal with it.”

Albion are planning to arrange some behind-closed-doors practice games to boost Berahino’s match fitness.

He has not played for Albion since the 1-0 Premier League defeat to Bournemouth on September 10. Pulis has warned not to expect too much too soon from the striker, saying he won’t be able to “turn water into wine”.

“He needs to play some games,” he said. “We need to see him in the games and see what he’s like, fitnesswise, and then we can let him loose.”