Fresh West Brom, Tobjorn Heggem transfer update emerges involving Bologna | OneFootball

Heggem cost West Brom just £500k from Swedish club Brommapojkarna last summer

There has been an update regarding West Bromwich Albion defender Torbjorn Heggem's prospective transfer to Italian outfit Bologna.

Bologna have already submitted an initial bid of around £5.6m for the centre-back, who can also play left-back, although the Baggies have reportedly been holding out for a fee closer to £10m.

Heggem cost West Brom just £500k from Swedish club Brommapojkarna last summer, and the 25-year-old won both Players' Player and Supporters' Player of the Season for 24/25.

No deal agreed for Torbjorn Heggem between West Brom and Bologna

Speaking on the Baggies Broadcast podcast, Express & Star reporter Lewis Cox confirmed that discussions between West Brom and the Serie A side have stalled.

The £10m move that appeared to be gathering momentum last week has hit a reported stumbling block, with Bologna and the West Midlands side yet to reach an agreement on the Norwegian international's valuation.

Bologna, who finished ninth in Serie A last season, are searching for defensive reinforcements as they prepare to lose Jhon Lucumi - with Sunderland showing reported interest in the Colombian.

The Italian club's director Giovanni Santorini has apparently grown frustrated with West Brom's asking price, with Corriere dello Sport suggesting they may look elsewhere if the Baggies do not lower their demands. Talks are expected to resume later in the window.

Ryan Mason's defensive concerns ahead of 25/26

The uncertainty surrounding Heggem's future does perhaps present a challenge for head coach Ryan Mason as he prepares for Saturday's Championship opener against Blackburn Rovers.

The Nordic defender is expected to remain part of Mason's plans for the immediate future, having played the full 90 minutes in West Brom's 3-2 friendly win over Rayo Vallecano at The Hawthorns.

Should Bologna revive their interest later in the transfer window, the Baggies would definitely need to move quickly to secure suitable cover - regardless of who they've already signed. There would also be massive expectation from supporters for a potential eight-figure outlay to be reinvested back into the playing squad, be that on a direct replacement or in other areas of the pitch.

Torbjorn Heggem exit could be problematic given quiet West Brom summer

Nat Phillips and George Campbell, two players that play centre-back, have already signed for West Brom from Liverpool and Montreal CF respectively, but losing Heggem would still leave them lacking depth at the back.

What's perhaps more concerning is that the Baggies have only signed three players in total this window, with striker Aune Heggebo being the third.

Shilen Patel, the club's owner, also holds a minority stake in Bologna, so it can probably be expected that Bologna's interest in Heggem won't disappear entirely.

The next few weeks will undoubtedly prove crucial in determining the 26-year-old's future. While negotiations have cooled for now, the fact that WBA could make around £9.5m profit on him - and Patel is part of Bologna's make-up behind the scenes - does imply that this saga is far from finished.