West Bromwich Albion are keeping tabs on Michael Cooper ahead of a potential move in the winter transfer window.

What's the talk?

That's according to a report by Football League World, who claimed that Albion are among a number of clubs keeping a very close eye on the Plymouth Argyle goalkeeper ahead of a potential January swoop.

It is then reported that Aston Villa, Birmingham City, Brentford, Coventry City, Sheffield United and Southampton have also registered their interest in the 21-year-old, with these clubs, as well as the Baggies, believed to have sent scouts to watch the shot-stopper in action at Home Park this season.

Johnstone heir

The future of current West Brom number one Sam Johnstone is still very much up in the air at present, as the 28-year-old's current deal at The Hawthorns is set to expire at the end of the season and the England international is yet to decide whether he will put pen to paper on a new deal with the club. Therefore, it would appear a wise move for Valerien Ismael to begin his search for a potential successor for the £7.2m-rated man.

While Albion have the highly-rated young goalkeeper Josh Griffiths in their ranks, considering just how impressive Cooper has been for Plymouth so far this season, the 21-year-old would certainly appear to be an ideal target for the Baggies.

Indeed, over his eight League One appearances this term, the £900-per-week youngster has kept four clean sheets, conceded just six goals, stopped one penalty and made an average of 2.6 saves per fixture.

These metrics have seen the man who Argyle manager Ryan Lowe dubbed a "monster" earn an average SofaScore match rating of 7.20, ranking him as the club's fourth-best player in the third tier, with his performances helping the Pilgrims to currently rank fourth in League One.

Although it would more than likely take Cooper a season or two to settle in at West Brom if he moves to the club, the 21-year-old could well be the perfect heir to Johnstone considering the sheer amount of potential he seems to possess - indeed, that is if the latter moves on to pastures new in the near future.

In other news: Signed for £8m, now worth £1.8m: West Brom had a shocker on £20k-p/w "manager's dream"