West Bromwich Albion are keen to land a replacement for Jonny Evans before they allow him to join Manchester City, according to reports.
According to a report from The Sun, West Brom will look to try and sign Eliaquim Mangala on a season-long loan as part of any potential £30 million deal that would see Jonny Evans make a move to Manchester City.
The Sun reports that the Citizens have already seen an £18 million bid for the Northern Ireland international turned down, but refused to be deterred in their pursuit of the former Manchester United centre-back.
Jonny Evans
And it appears that the Baggies are willing to let the 29-year-old make the move to the Etihad Stadium provided that they have a replacement lined up, The Sun reports.
And that replacement could well be Mangala, who has generally struggled to make an impression since making his £31.9 million move in 2014, with The Sun reporting that Tony Pulis wants to bring him to the Hawthorns on a season-long loan deal.
Tony Pulis
The Sun adds that City are prepared to let the France international leave the club on a temporary basis – especially as it will seemingly pave the way for Pep Guardiola to land one of his targets during the final days of the window.
It seems unlikely however, that the move will be met by a positive reaction amongst West Brom supporters if it does go through.
Mangala has only shown glimpses of quality since arriving in England, and has been mistake-prone in the past, so there is no guarantee that he would fill the void that Evans would leave behind.
And while the player-plus-cash deal may initially appeal to the Baggies supporters, Evans’ importance to the side would mean it would be a major blow to lose him – especially with so little time left in the window to actually reinvest the money.
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