Duo set for Baggies switch
West Brom are on the verge of a double transfer swoop with Southampton midfielder Nigel Quashie and Uruguayan defender Williams Martinez set to move to The Hawthorns.
Albion have agreed a fee of around £1.5m (€2.2m) for Quashie and the deal will go through if the former England Under-21 player can agree personal terms.
Baggies boss Bryan Robson also confirmed that Martinez, who plays for Defensor, will be joining on loan for the rest of the season with a view to a £2m (€3m) permanent deal in the summer.
Robson has been keen to bring in new blood at the back after being unsuccessful in his attempt to sign Ugo Ehiogu from Middlesbrough earlier in the January transfer window.
The 23-year-old Martinez has just forced his way into his country’s senior squad and has been tracked by Robson for the past three months.
Robson said: “We have got Martinez coming in on loan initially and hopefully the deal will go through by the end of Monday.
“He is captain of his club, has been part of Uruguay’s last two international squads, is a tough tackler and has also got a very good technique.”
Quashie will provide competition for the likes of Ronnie Wallwork and Junichi Inamoto and Robson admitted he has been an admirer since his days at QPR.
He said: “We have agreed a fee for Quashie. We are in negotiations with his agent so hopefully the deal will be done by the end of Monday.”
If Quashie arrives at Albion then midfielder Richard Chaplow will head in the opposite direction on loan until the end of the season.
Chaplow, signed from Burnley 12 months ago, has made only limited first team appearances and scored twice against Reading in a recent FA Cup replay.
Robson believes the player will benefit from a spell of regular first team football.
