West Bromwich to land Shane Long

08 August 2011 13:39
West Bromwich are poised to eclipse their club transfer record to sign Reading striker Shane Long.[LNB]The Baggies have held talks with Long's advisors over the weekend and are close to agreeing a fee of around ?7million.[LNB]It would surpass the ?4.7m Albion paid Real Mallorca for Spanish midfielder Borja Valero three years ago.[LNB] Long view: West Brom believe Shane Long (above) will add quality to their squad[LNB] West Bromwich's desire for a new striker is even more pressing as last season's leading scorer, Peter Odemwingie, is battling to overcome an ankle problem.[LNB]Albion head coach Roy Hodgson is hoping to sign Long in time for Sunday's Barclays Premier League opener with Manchester United at the Hawthorns.[LNB]It will be the first monetary outlay of the summer by West Brom after Gareth McAuley, Zoltan Gera and Billy Jones arrived on Bosman free transfers and Ben Foster joined on loan from Birmingham.[LNB] International star: Long proved himself with the Republic of Ireland last season [LNB]Hodgson has been pursuing Long all summer after the 24-year-old scored 25 goals last season for Reading.[LNB]Championship side West Ham last month failed with a bid thought to total around ?7million with add-ons but the Royals have told the Republic of Ireland striker he can join a top-flight side if the price is right. [LNB] CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE FANTASY FOOTBALL GAMEWest Brom 1 Parma 1: Tchoyi rescues draw for Baggies as Brunt blows penalty chance Forest eye ?2m move for Miller but Boro set to miss out on Haroun All the latest Manchester United news, features and opinion [LNB]

Source: Daily_Mail