Tony Pulis keen for Matt Phillips to join West Brom's pre-season in Austria
Albion will try to push through a deal for QPR winger Phillips this week in time for him to join the Baggies on their pre-season trip to Austria.
Phillips has been left out of Rangers' 26-man squad for their nine-day pre-season tour to Holland and didn't fly out with manager Jimmy Hasselbaink and the team yesterday.
He's been left in the UK to discuss terms with the Baggies as head coach Tony Pulis returns to the training ground this week.
Pulis would like to take Phillips to Austria with the rest of the squad on Thursday, and wants to give him his first game in an Albion shirt against French giants Paris Saint-Germain next week.
But the Baggies will need to move quickly at the beginning of this week in order for that to happen and agree a deal with QPR.
Phillips has been a long-term target for Pulis, who wanted to sign the 25-year-old speedster last summer.
Although Rangers wanted £10m for him last year, it's believed their asking price has now dropped to £5m because the club would have to give former club Blackpool a slice of any fee more than that.
Albion made a £3.5m opening bid with add-ons but the two clubs are now nearing an agreement.
Meanwhile, Stoke continue to haggle with the Baggies over a fee for Saido Berahino but have not yet submitted a formal bid.
Albion are yet to hear a valuation from the Potters that matches their own, believed to be north of £20m.
Watford are also interested in Berahino, and when the Hornets came calling the possibility of Odion Ighalo joining the Baggies was mooted.
But Watford have just turned down a £38m bid for Ighalo from Chinese club Shanghai SIPG and Albion are not willing to pay anywhere near that much.
Rumours Chinese billionaire Jack Ma wants to buy the club are wide of the mark, although chairman Jeremy Peace continues to field interest from elsewhere.
