'Set for medical' - West Brom accept shock £5m bid from Premier League club

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West Brom are set to lose goalkeeper Alex Palmer as Ipswich Town make a shock deadline day bid.

West Brom are set to suffer a significant blow on deadline day with news that first-choice goalkeeper Alex Palmer is set to undergo a medical ahead of a £5m move to Premier League side Ipswich Town.

Palmer, who has made over 100 appearances for the Baggies and been their first-choice goalkeeper for the past two years, is heading to Portman Road today ahead of a move, according to Express & Star reporter Lewis Cox.

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28-year-old Palmer has 18 months left on his contract at the Hawthorns and the Baggies have decided to cash in on a player that could have left for free in the future. Palmer will now compete with Christian Walton and Aro Muric for the goalkeeper’s jersey at Ipswich, who are battling to avoid relegation back to the Championship.

In response, West Brom are expected to recall 23-year-old shot stopper Josh Griffiths from his loan spell at Bristol Rovers. It is not yet clear whether the Baggies will look to sign another goalkeeper before the transfer deadline at 11pm.

Palmer set for surprise departure

There had been few suggestions that Palmer was likely to leave the Hawthorns during the transfer window, and news of his impending transfer to Ipswich has come as a surprise with West Brom occupying a play-off place in the Championship table as they look to return to the top flight.

Palmer, who has represented England at Under-16 level, has played every minute of every match in the league so far this season. With his departure, back-up Joe Wildsmith, who was signed from Derby County on a free transfer in the summer, will become the number one pending the return of Griffiths, who has been first choice for Bristol Rovers during their League One relegation battle this season.

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Ipswich had been struggling between the sticks so far this season, with Muric making a string of high-profile errors prior to his replacement by former Brighton stopper Walton.

It remains unclear how the reported £5m fee for Palmer will be structured, with transfer reporter Ben Jacobs among sources claiming on X and elsewhere that the deal is worth just £2m.

Quiet deadline day explodes into life

It had been expected that West Brom would have a quiet deadline day, with the loan signing of Tottenham Hotspur’s Will Lankshear and the arrival of Standard Liege and Northern Ireland midfielder Isaac Price for a reported £2.5m expected to be the only major moves made by new manager Tony Mowbray.

A goalkeeper may now be a pressing concern, although the club have a high opinion of Griffiths, and the Baggies may opt not to add a new glovesman to the squad.

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Elsewhere, the priority had been to find appropriate loan deals for young players on the fringes of the first-team squad such as Ollie Bostock and Harry Whitwell - but a potentially calm deadline day has now exploded into life with the news of Palmer’s likely departure.

In other news, two players linked with loan moves to the Hawthorns are moving elsewhere following the arrival of Lankshear.

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