West Bromwich Albion are just a few days away from their first game back in the big time and they can make their season a lot smoother with the addition of one man...

What's the word?

According to the Express & Star, the Baggies are major contenders to land promising Chelsea starlet Conor Gallagher on loan this summer.

They claim the 20-year-old has been on their radar for several years having impressed in the academy setup at Stamford Bridge and after two successful loan spells last season in the Championship, Slaven Bilic wants to make a move.

Gallagher is set to sign a contract extension before he departs on a temporary basis and talks between Albion and Chelsea are underway.

Forget Krovinovic?

The Baggies are currently lacking that final midfielder to complement both Grady Diangana and Matheus Pereria at the Hawthorns, so a move for the England U21 sensation makes sense.

Especially if the club are unable to bring Filip Krovinovic back. The same report claims that discussions with Benfica have hit a bump over a potential future transfer.

However, Gallagher outperformed the Croatian last term and perhaps should be the man they sign instead.

The 20-year-old provided six goals and 11 assists for both Charlton Athletic and Swansea City whilst averaging 1.8 tackles, 1.7 shots, 1.2 key passes and 1.2 dribbles per game, via WhoScored.

He seems like the perfect box-to-box midfielder that could hold the keys to Bilic unlocking that exciting attack.

Sky Sports pundit Keith Andrews likened his playing style to that of Frank Lampard, claiming Gallagher is a "classic No 8." who "has unbelievable energy" and "does the ugly side of the game."

Whilst Lee Bowyer, a similar player back in the day, believes the loan star had been a "jewel" that was "impossible to replace" and that's exactly what Bilic would be getting.

Luke Dowling must ensure they win the race this summer.

AND in other news, West Brom target 29-goal star who'd be a dream for Matheus Pereira...