West Brom are lining up a move for Aston Villa striker Mbwana Samatta, according to a report from The Sun.
Samatta only joined Villa from Belgian side Gent for a reported £9.1million in the January transfer window, but has struggled to make an impact during his time at Villa Park so far, scoring just twice in 16 appearances in all competitions.
Now it seems as though Samatta could be set for an early exit from Villa Park, with the latest reports claiming that West Brom are keen to sign the 27-year-old Tanzanian international.
Turkish giants Fenerbahce are already said to be in advanced talks with Samatta, and the Baggies are now looking to hijack that move.
The Midlands club could have an advantage in their attempts to do that, with Samatta thought to be keen to get another chance to prove himself in the Premier League next season.
As things stand, Samatta has four years remaining on his current contract with Villa, securing his future at the club until the end of the 2023/24 season, putting his current side in a strong position to negotiate any offer that comes in.
With that in mind, this does feel like a very risky move for the Baggies to make.
Slaven Bilic’s side badly need a goalscorer if they are to be competitive in the Premier League this season, but Samatta is yet to prove that he can really do that.
You also feel that Villa will want to make back most of the money they spent on the forward just a few months ago, meaning that this deal will be relatively expensive when taking the Baggies’ limited budget into account, meaning you have to wonder whether there are still better options out there for them.
