Albion still hope to keep Fortune

The on-loan Nancy striker is tipped for Premier League offers, after an impressive run of form since coming to the club in the January transfer window.

Wolves have already made contact regarding the 27-year-old striker, while Fulham boss Roy Hodgson made a personal check on Fortune during the Liverpool clash.

Baggies boss Mowbray stressed that Albion have the rest of their squad locked down on contracts and will only sell who they choose to during the summer's transfer exchanges.

But Fortune is the exception, although Albion now sense some hope of the player staying after earlier admitting relegation would see him tempted away for a top-flight contract.

The manager said: "There is hope. We have a good opportunity. He is a good man and the grass isn't always greener on the other side.

"He is at a club where his talents are appreciated and he knows he will play. If Premier League teams are after him, he could go and be a number three or four striker.

"It depends on what the boy wants to do. He can stay with us and score lots of goals next season and, hopefully, win lots of games.

"Then he could come back to the Premier League with a team that he is settled in and enjoying his football, where the environment he comes to work in every day is conducive to making him happy.

"But we all have choices in life and he will make his."

Mowbray is confident that it will be Albion driving the agenda in their transfer activity in readiness for Championship football.

He added: "The chairman runs a very tight financial ship and there is no debt. There is no need to sell any players. There isn't a £20million shortfall.

"We don't need to sell anybody but ultimately I probably will, because there may be one or two I think may need to move on.

"Hopefully we can bring some good players in."