West Brom eye up loan deal for Bournemouth defender Tyrone Mings

The Baggies are keen on the 25-year-old, who cost the Cherries £8million in 2015, but has struggled for minutes under Eddie Howe this season.

Darren Moore is currently well-stocked in defence, but is attempting to line up Mings in case a number of players leave.

Manchester City could recall loanee Tosin Adarabioyo this month now he’s no longer in the starting line-up in order to send him elsewhere and get him more regular minutes.

Tyrone Mears’s contract is up at the end of January and Jack Fitzwater is also expected to leave on loan this month, with a return to Walsall now back on the cards.

Summer signing Conor Townsend may also be allowed to leave on loan to get more regular minutes, with Wigan Athletic interested in the left-back.

Mings is a versatile defender capable of playing both left-back and centre-back, and Moore, who was interested in Kortney Hause before he joined Villa, is on the hunt for a left-sided defender.

The former Ipswich Town man is expected to be given a chance to leave the Vitality Stadium on loan once Bournemouth complete a £13m deal for Brentford defender Chris Mepham.

However, Mings may want reassurances of first-team football and Albion have no plans to sell Kieran Gibbs this January.

Villa are also believed to be interested in Mings and may be able to offer him more regular minutes at left-back.

Albion have now returned from their warm weather training camp in Dubai, and after a day off on Friday, are training on Saturday and Sunday ahead of Monday’s trip to Bolton.

“We’re continuing to look to improve and develop all areas of the pitch,” said Moore.

“I keep saying with this team that we have come a long way - but there is so much room for further development and understanding. The only way you get to do that is on the training ground.

“When you show the form that we have over the last 10 or 12 games, you have to be happy with that.

“I’m not completely satisfied because there is always stuff to work on in training, which we have been doing this week.

“There are things on and off the ball that I see and identify that as a team we have to do better.

“We’re working towards making those things better. There’s lots and lots of work to get stuck into them in terms of making us better.”