West Brom executives are more confident that a buyout agreement may be reached this year, according to Football Insider sources.
The Baggies have had conversations with a number of groups from the United States and the Middle East in order to locate a buyer for the club from current owner Guochuan Lai.
According to The Telegraph, if new owners are not found, the Championship club might face a ‘fire sale’ in January.
The club has suffered financially under Guochuan Lai, and with the Chinese tycoon refusing to invest further money in the team, they may be forced to slash expenditures this winter.
West Brom have sold a number of first-team players this summer in order to reduce their salary cost, including Dara O’Shea to Burnley for less than his release clause.
With the danger of a January firesale lurking in the background, West Brom have began the process of contacting possible purchasers, with discussions taking place this month with US investors.
Despite paying about £175 million to purchase the shares from Jeremy Peace in 2016, Lai has set a £50 million asking price for his controlling shareholding in the club.
According to Football Insider, West Brom are becoming more confident that a buyer will be found in the coming months.
West Brom had discussed a prospective acquisition with an American group in 2020, but no deal was achieved owing to Lai’s exorbitant asking price.
