West Bromwich Albion missed out on a January deal for Real Betis midfielder William Carvalho because they refused to include an option-to-buy clause in his contract, as reported by La Razon.
You can see why the Baggies would make such a decision.
After all, it looks like West Brom will be bouncing their way back into the Championship next season and, with relegation starting to look like a probability rather than a possibility, the Midland-based outfit were keen to avoid any sizeable financial commitments.
According to La Razon, West Brom wanted to sign Portugal international Carvalho on what is often referred to across the Channel as a ‘dry loan’; essentially, a short-term deal with no purchase clause included.
Real Betis, however, were unwilling to accept such an arrangement.
They would only let Carvalho join a club who were interested in buying the European champion out-right during the summer window.
According to Mundo Deportivo, the former Sporting Lisbon enforcer is valued at £18 million and earns £40,000-a-week at the Estadio Benito Villamarin.
Simply put, that is far too much for a club who may soon be cutting costs and preparing for life back in the second tier.
This perhaps explains why West Brom turned their attention to another La Liga scrapper – the Celta Vigo-owned Turkey ace Okay Yokuslu.
According to Fabrizio Romano, there is no option or obligation-to-buy clause in Yokuslu’s contract. This means, if or when West Brom are relegated, Sam Allardyce’s side will be under no pressure to pay out for the 26-year-old.
Which is handy, given that Yokuslu has not exactly made an impression at The Hawthorns.
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