Luton Town links with Kyle Bartley put further pressure on West Brom over another contract situation: View | OneFootball

Highlights

With less than a week to go until the January transfer window closes, it is likely that more than a few clubs will be getting rather nervous.

On the one hand, those sides will be feeling the pressure to get their late market signings completed, to ensure they have a competitive enough squad for the remainder of the campaign.

However, they will also be concerned about the prospect of losing some of their own key players to late bids from clubs elsewhere.

West Brom.

According to recent reports from The Telegraph, Luton Town have placed West Brom defender Kyle Bartley on a list of potential central defensive targets for the final days of the window.

Bartley, who has been with West Brom since the summer of 2018, has been a vital contributor for the Baggies during the current campaign, starting 20 of their 28 league games, to help them to fifth spot in the current Championship standings.

As a result, it would be a big blow to lose the 32-year-old this month. However, Bartley is now into the final six months of his contract at The Hawthorns, meaning this could be the club's final chance to receive a fee for him.

Given the financial uncertainty that West Brom find themselves in as they continue to search for a buyer to take over the club from Guachaun Lai, that may mean they could be forced to accept an offer, should one come in for Bartley this month, to raise some much-needed funds.

If that does prove to be the case, then there is an argument that it will put yet more pressure on the Baggies, when it comes to the future of another of their centre-backs.

Cedric Kipre's West Brom contract is also running out

As things stand, Bartley is not the only West Brom centre-back who is set to see his contract at The Hawthorns expire at the end of the season.

Another individual who currently finds himself in that particular position at West Brom, is Cedric Kipre.

Having joined the club back in the summer of 2020, Kipre had to wait until this season to really show what he can do for the Baggies.

That opportunity, though, is one he has certainly taken, with the Ivorian starting all but one of the club's 28 Championship games this season, producing some excellent performances in that time.

As a result, Kipre himself now looks to have firmly established as a vital figure in West Brom's plans going forward, meaning it would be a big blow for them if they were to lose him for free in the summer, when his contract expires.

Should that come in tandem with a potential departure for Bartley amid that interest from Luton, that would leave the Baggies needing to replace not one but two vital options in the centre of defence.

However, given the contract situations of the pair, meaning they could be set to leave cheaply or on a free over the coming months, they may be unlikely to bring that much in terms of finance into the club, which West Brom could then reinvest in signing their replacements.

Meanwhile, the fact the club are continuing to wait for someone to take over from Lai, also means it could be hard for them to source funds from elsewhere, to spend on replacements for the duo.

All of that could mean that if both were to depart, in what currently looks as though it could be a possibility, it may leave West Brom badly exposed in the centre of their defence at some point in the near future.

But if West Brom are able to secure the services of Kipre with a new deal, it would provide them with some reliable continuity in that area beyond the end of the season, even if Bartley is to move on amid those links with the Hatters.

So, with all that in mind, it seems that this interest in Bartley from Luton, has put a considerable amount of pressure on West Brom, when it comes to the future of not one, but two centre-backs.