TeamTALK has reported that West Brom are keen to sign Britt Assombalonga from Middlesbrough this summer, though they will have to battle Leeds United, Nottingham Forest and Birmingham City according to The Yorkshire Post.

What's the story?

TeamTALK also report that Assombalonga is considered surplus to requirements at Boro, who are managed by former Baggies boss Tony Pulis, and the Congolese striker will be allowed to leave the club this summer.

Boro broke their transfer record when paying Forest £15m for the now 25-year-old 12 months ago and he went on to score 15 goals in 47 matches in all competitions last season. However, with Pulis taking over from Garry Monk during last season it looks as though his time at the Riverside may be over already.

According to The Sun, Newcastle have made an approach for West Brom's Salomon Rondon, who has a £16m release clause in his contract after the Baggies were relegated at the end of last season. If Rondon were to depart then it would leave boss Darren Moore with just Hal Robson-Kanu and Jay Rodriguez as senior strikers and they would surely look to replace the Venezuelan.

Race for Assombalonga

In comparison to Assombalonga, Rondon managed just 10 goals in all competitions for West Brom last season whereas Rodriguez netted 11 times and Robson-Kanu only twice.

The current Middlesbrough man uses his pace and power to create opportunities for himself and if his finishing improves slightly he could become even more lethal.

With The Yorkshire Post reporting that no club has yet made a bid for Assombalonga, Moore should move quickly to offload Rondon and ensure the club can wrap up a deal for the in-demand goalscorer, who would be the perfect partner for Rodriguez this term.

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