Brentford are sitting pretty in the Championship with half of the season gone, with Thomas Frank poised to deliver an automatic promotion push.

The Bees are in fourth place and have gone 15 league games unbeaten - you have to go back to late October for their last defeat which came on the road against Stoke City.

They replaced record sale Ollie Watkins perfectly with Peterborough hitman Ivan Toney in the summer, and he is banging in the goals for his new club.

Brentford have exploited foreign markets in the past for cheap, exciting talent such as Neal Maupay and Said Benrahma, but due to new work permit rules relating to Brexit that may not be a viable option for them anymore and they may have to stick to home shopping.

Let's look at the latest transfer gossip surrounding the Bees as they look to potentially add to their squad for the promotion push.

Ben Pearson

Brentford targeted experienced Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Barry Bannan in the previous window, but were knocked back in their attempts.

They look like they're still in the market for a central player who has an eye for a pass, as reports linked them to Preston star Ben Pearson this week.

The 26-year-old is also attracting admiring glances from Celtic and West Brom and has reportedly rejected a new deal at Deepdale - with his current one expiring in June.

The Londoners could probably pick Pearson up for a cut-price fee in the low millions, but they'll have to move quick amid interest from bigger clubs.]

 

Quiz: Did Brentford sign each of these 14 players for more or less than £1 million?

 

 

David Raya

Raya is rated as one of the top goalkeepers in the second tier, and it emerged that Premier League giants Arsenal were interested in the Spaniard over the summer.

Brentford wanted to loan him back for the rest of the season though which scuppered any potential deal, however The Telegraph have tipped the Gunners to go back in for Raya in the summer.

Raya may not have covered himself in too much glory in the play off final in 2020, but he's remained solid this season and should have much interest in his signature.

Ellery Balcombe

Speaking of goalkeepers, Brentford may already have Raya's potential replacement on the books in the form of Balcombe.

The 21-year-old has been capped at multiple youth levels by England and has had spells on loan in non-league and also in Denmark, but he now makes the step up to League One level at Doncaster Rovers.

Balcombe will be a guaranteed first-choice in South Yorkshire and a good half-season at the Keepmoat Stadium may put him in the mix to replace Raya in-between the sticks next season if Arsenal's interest becomes incredibly serious.