West Brom transfers: Baggies sign Chinese striker Yuning Zhang and immediately loan him out

The Chinese international has been immediately loaned out to Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga for two years.

Albion have described the deal as a "development project" with the hope he may one day become a key Premier League asset.

But they have not hidden the obvious commercial motives behind the deal, which is aimed at boosting the club's profile in China, the homeland of owner Guochuan Lai.

It's understood the money paid to Vitesse has not come out of Tony Pulis's transfer budget for this summer. Bremen will be paying a portion of his wages.

China are currently outside the top 50 of FIFA's world rankings meaning a work permit would be not be granted if the forward were to play in England.

And so the chance to play in Germany's top division was seen as the best option for the young striker who has plied his trade in Holland since 2015.

Zhang has three goals from 24 Eredivisie appearances, although the majority of his minutes have come from the substitutes' bench.

Director of football administration Richard Garlick flew to Germany this week to tie up the details of the deal.

He said: "Zhang will get the chance to further develop at Bremen, with whom we have an excellent relationship.

"He will be challenging for a place in a top European league and we will be monitoring his progress before reassessing his prospects at the end of the loan period.

"There is no doubt he has a lot of qualities which Bremen are well-positioned to grow and develop. His progress will be the subject of great interest here at Albion but also in Germany and in China.

"There is no doubt that there are commercial benefits that come with the deal but the primary target is to help develop one of the best young players in a booming corner of the football industry."

Zhang has a chance to endear himself to Albion fans almost immediately, as Werder Bremen take on rivals Wolves in a pre-season friendly in Austria next Wednesday (July 12).

"We're delighted to bring in Yuning Zhang on a two-year loan deal," said Werder sporting director Frank Baumann.

"He's decided against the big money of China, and opted for a good education in the Bundesliga.

"He won't rock the Bundesliga immediately, but he's got potential and experience of playing in Europe. We want to further his development and bring him up to Bundesliga level."

Albion were taken over last August by Lai, a Chinese businessman who bought the club off Jeremy Peace for around £175-200million.

The Zhang deal is just the latest move from the Baggies that strengthens their links to China.

A Chinese eco-town company named Palm, which has strong ties to Lai, is building six sports towns in the country with the 'West Bromwich Albion' name attached.