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According to The Telegraph, West Brom are poised to make a move for West Ham's Reece Oxford.

What's the word?

Oxford walked into the Hammers first team squad to pocket Mesut Ozil on his senior debut at the Emirates in 2015.

However, that was now four years ago and since that day, the defender has never lived up to expectations.

The 20-year-old struggled to attain regular minutes and two loan spells in the Bundesliga with Borussia Monchengladbach and Augsburg have hardly gone to plan either.

Yet the youngster could now be on the verge of a move to West Brom. The Telegraph claim the Baggies are poised to move for the 20-year-old whose permanent switch to Augsburg could be in danger of collapsing.

According to the report a deal had been agreed with the German side but Oxford wants a relegation clause in his contract.

As a result, West Brom are one of the teams who could take advantage of the situation in a deal which may cost £2m.

A positive message to Albion's academy

West Brom look as though they could see another of their brightest prospects flee the Hawthorns this summer.

Rekeem Harper has been offered a new deal by Albion but there have been no developments since it was revealed that a contract offer was on the table.

With that in mind, it'll be a further blow to an academy who have seen the likes of Izzy Brown, Tyler Roberts and Kemar Roofe leave for pastures new in years gone by.

However, the acquisition of Oxford could help stem the flow.

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The West Ham defender was once one of the brightest prospects in the English game and if the Baggies can bring in a youngster of his quality, it could send a positive message to rising talents already at Albion.

That message would be that West Brom is a place where you can develop as a footballer. With many of their best young stars leaving there is a case to be made that they don't see it as a place where they can grow.

However, Oxford arriving could help change that mindset and demonstrate that Albion is a place where young footballers can flourish.

In a new era for the club, this could prove crucial.