Slaven admits Krovinovic deal would be a perfect Filip for Albion
ALBION boss Slaven Bilic insists he will ‘do anything’ to re-sign Filip Krovinovic this summer.
The Croatian midfielder grew into his loan move from Benfica last season and became a positive force in the Baggies’ squad as they clinched promotion to the Premier League.
“I hope the situation with Krovinovic will change soon,” said Bilic. “Krovinovic is our priority, I will do anything to keep him.
“He can play in various positions. He has made a lot of progress and he is now constantly in the penalty area, which wasn’t the case at the start of the season.
“He shoots three times per game. He gets assists.
“Off the field, the team fell in love with him in three days. He is always smiling. He wants to play and he has ambition, but he understands the situation.
“He played, he came in from the bench and he sat on the bench, but he always supported the team. And that matters.”
Meanwhile, Wales boss Ryan Giggs has recalled Albion striker Hal Robson-Kanu to the international fold after nearly three years away.
Wales travel to Helsinki next week for their Nations League opener against Finland, even though the game may not be played there because of Finnish coronavirus quarantine rules.
Robson-Kanu retired from international football in August 2018, but reversed that decision last year.
“I never closed the door on Hal,” said Giggs. “Ever since he decided he didn’t want to be up for selection I kept in touch with him. I said things may change, which they have.
“He’s playing regularly for West
Brom and playing well and I was keen to get him back in the fold.’’ And Albion and Sheffield United are believed to be in ‘advanced talks’ over an imaginative swap deal involving Callum Robinson and Oliver Burke.
Blades manager Chris Wilder is looking to add to his options up front and fancies the challenge of turning Burke’s obvious potential into tangible output.
The 23-year-old has made just two league starts since West Brom smashed their club-record transfer fee with his £15million purchase from RB Leipzig in 2017.
Burke spent the first half of 2019 on loan at Celtic while, last season, failed to make an impression under Slaven Bilic and was soon loaned out to Spanish outfit Alaves, scoring just once in 32 appearances in La Liga.
Blades attacker Robinson spent the second half of last season on loan at The Hawthorns.