West Bromwich Albion are interested in a deal to bring Jerry Yates to The Hawthorns this summer.

What's the talk?

That's according to a report by The Sun, who claim that the managerless Baggies are one of a number of Championship sides keeping a very close eye on the Blackpool centre-forward ahead of a potential move in the summer transfer window.

The report goes on to state that Neil Critchley's side would demand a fee of £5m in order to part with the 24-year-old, who has two years remaining on his current contract at Bloomfield Road.

Lai must move

With West Brom's search to appoint Sam Allardyce's successor dragging on for a rather unexpected amount of time, in addition to the club recently parting ways with technical and sporting director Luke Dowling, Guochuan Lai is running the very real risk of being left behind by the Baggies' Championship rivals regarding the club's summer transfer business.

And, considering just how impressive Yates was for Blackpool last season, it would appear as if the striker is a talent that West Brom simply cannot afford to miss out on.

Indeed, over his 47 League One appearances for the Tangerines last term, the £2.1k-per-week striker scored 21 goals, registered eight assists and created six big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.9 shots and making one key pass per game.

These metrics saw the former Rotherham United man earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.99, ranking him as Critchley's sixth-best performer in the third tier of English football, with the 24-year-old's returns playing a huge role in Blackpool going on to secure promotion to the Championship.

Yates also impressed in the Seasiders' FA Cup run, scoring a further two goals and providing one assist in the competition, taking his total number of goals to 23 and his number of assists to nine in 2020/21.

As such, with West Brom hoping to secure an immediate return to the Premier League next season, the addition of a proven goalscorer such as Yates would appear to provide the Baggies with a huge boost to their chances of going on to achieve this feat.

So, regardless of the fact that West Brom do not currently have a manager, it would appear highly advisable for Lai to sanction a move for the man whom Critchley dubbed an "outstanding" player as soon as possible, or else he risks seeing one of Albion's Championship rivals pinch the striker from under his side's nose.

In other news: Guochuan Lai risks West Brom fury by appointing 55 y/o flop this summer