West Brom closing in on eighth summer signing after training ground visit

The Baggies are expected to announce the acquisition of Sassuolo star Uroš Račić after the defensive midfielder visited the club’s training ground.

Birmingham World understands Račić will sign on a season-long deal without an obligation to buy following a breakthrough in talks between the two clubs. The player was very excited about making the move to The Hawthorns as soon as it was mentioned and pushed for the deal to be completed.

Račić completed his medical on Wednesday and was waiting for West Brom and Sassuolo to finalise the details. That’s now been sorted and so an announcement can be expected imminently.

A full Serbia international with 12 senior appearances, Račić played 22 times for Sassuolo in Serie A last season. The Emilia-Romagna club were relegated following a 19th-placed finish but it was through little fault of Račić’s own.

Before joining Sassuolo, the 26-year-old played in excess of 200 senior matches throughout spells at SC Braga, Valencia, Famalicāo, CD Tenerife and Red Star Belgrade. The majority of Račić’s appearances have been in top-tier competitions and the Serbian has even featured 11 times in the UEFA Europa League.

Standing at 6ft 4in, Račić fits the mould of a physical and defensive-minded player who can anchor at the base of midfield. West Brom were set to suffer this season following the departure of Okay Yokuşlu to Trabzonspor, but they now have a fairly like-for-like replacement – at least for the campaign ahead.