West Brom have discussed the prospect of a move for Aston Villa striker Mbwana Samatta this summer, but are unlikely to follow it up with concrete interest, The Express and Star’s Joseph Masi has claimed.
It was recently reported by The Sun that the Baggies considering a possible move for Samatta as they continue their search for a new striker.
Turkish giants Fenerbahce are said to have already opened talks over a move for the Villa attacker, and it seems West Brom will not be looking to hijack that move, despite discussing the prospect of doing so.
Speaking on The Express and Star’s Baggies Broadcast Podcast about the possibility of Slaven Bilic’s side making a move for Samatta, Masi said: “What I’ve been told is that he has been discussed by the Albion hierarchy – but the impression I’ve been given is very much that they’ve looked at, obviously, an awful lot of strikers and his name has come up in a conversation, but there isn’t much more interest in it than that.”
Giving his views on whether or not we will see Samatta at The Hawthorns regularly this season, Masi went on to add: “I can’t sit here and say 100% certain that Samatta won’t sign, but I would still be very surprised if he did.”
Since joining Villa from Genk for a reported £9.1million back in the January transfer window, Samatta has scored just twice in 16 appearances in all competitions for the Baggies’ local rivals.
With that in mind, it is probably sensible for Albion not to really follow up their interest in Samatta here, considering that while they do need a goalscorer, there is no guarantee that the Villa man will be able to fill that role.
Indeed, you also feel that Villa will want back a good deal of the fee they paid for him, meaning such a signing would also put quite a strain on the Baggies’ budget, meaning it would be a risk from both a footballing and financial perspective.
