Albion back in the race for Moses

Albion are back in the race for Crystal Palace teenager Victor Moses after the Eagles' latest financial crisis saw the potential asking price slashed.

Moses' agent claims the Baggies have lodged a £1.5m bid for the 19-year-old, who could now leave Selhurst Park for a reduced price after the South London club went into administration.

Roberto Di Matteo's men could face a straight fight with promotion rivals Nottingham Forest, with the top-of-the-table Championship duo the only clubs to have firmed up their interest so far.

It was unclear today whether Albion have faxed an official offer to Palace for the highly-rated forward, but Hawthorns officials have made their interest known and are certain to have discussed potential fees with the Eagles, whose 10-point deduction has been confirmed by the Football League.

A host of Premier League clubs were also thought to be monitoring Moses but none have so far shown their hand.

Administrators at Selhurst Park are now under pressure to raise cash before the closure of the transfer window on Monday, meaning they are increasingly likely to accept the best bid in the next few days.

Agent Tony Finnigan said: "Forest and West Brom are the two clubs to have made bids for Victor. West Brom's bid was for £1.5million."

Palace administrators banned Moses from playing in last night's defeat at Newcastle to prevent any injuries, signalling a transfer is imminent.

A statement from administrators P&A Partnership read: "Independent football agents have reported that there is a great deal of interest from clubs wanting to buy Victor Moses.

"A sale of Victor Moses could assist the administrators in securing the future of the football club."

Albion could conclude several pieces of business in the final days of the transfer window, with their bid for Hamilton midfielder James McArthur still on the table in Scotland. However, some major compromises will be required if a deal is to be done for the 22-year-old.

The Baggies want to take the highly-rated Scotland under-21 international on loan for the rest of the season, but the SPL side want a cash deal.

But the club are not believed to be strongly pursuing wingers Gabi Torji, of Dinamo Bucharest, and Dacian Varga, of Unirea, despite reports of interest in their native Romania.