Local rivals agree fee for Leko
BIRMINGHAM City have agreed a fee with West Brom for Jonathan Leko.
The Birmingham Post understands Albion have accepted an offer of £1 million for the talented 21-year-old, who operates primarily as a right-winger but can also play through the middle or on the left.
However, Blues are not the only suitors and the Baggies have also accepted bids from Sheffield Wednesday and Brighton.
The England Under-20 ace spent last season on loan at Charlton where he made 21 appearances and scored five goals before seeing his campaign end with a serious knee injury in December.
Leko has also spent time on loan at Bristol City having been at the West Brom academy since he was 11 years old.
Overall he has made 23 appearances for Albion and scored once, while progressing through the
England age groups. Leko’s pace and versatility would be a welcome addition to Aitor Karanka’s squad, however, former Blues boss Garry Monk is also looking to add to his options, while Brighton offer the pull of Premier League football. Meanwhile, Albion head coach Slaven Bilic has expressed his desire to bring in CSKA Moscow midfielder Nikola Vlasic.
Bilic tried to sign his 22-year-old compatriot when he was in charge at West Ham and the player has remained on his radar ever since.
“I would like to bring him,” he said. “I would be happiest if I could call and buy Nikola. But, of course, Moscow would want serious money. Zenit offered a lot for him. Napoli too. “When you ask me who I would like to bring, he is the one. Young and modern players like Vlasic.”
Bilic revealed the kind of resources he has at his disposal and how they compare to last season’s promoted teams.
Villa ploughed £120m into their squad and only just scraped their way to survival, Sheffield United spent around £60m on the likes of Oli McBurnie and Lys Mousset, while Norwich were far more modest in their recruitment.
Bilic disclosed Albion will fall somewhere between the Blades and the Canaries.
“We had a few good examples last year: Villa, Norwich and Sheffield United,” he continued.
“Villa spent everything, Norwich spent nothing, so they were relegated as early as February.
“So you want to be like Sheffield? Yes, but we don’t have that right now.”