West Brom are set to wrap up the loan signing of Matt Clarke with a medical scheduled for this afternoon, according to John Percy.

Clarke joined Brighton and Hove Albion from Portsmouth in the summer of 2019 for a reported £3.9m fee, but is since yet to make his debut for the Seagulls.

Instead, the 24-year-old has spent the last two seasons on loan in the Championship with Derby County, racking up 81 appearances across two loan spells.

The central defender now looks set to spend another season away from the AMEX Stadium, with West Brom set to land his signature.

A medical is expected to take place this afternoon, with Clarke set to put pen to paper on a season-long loan move to the Hawthorns, as per John Percy.

This will perhaps come as a surprise to West Brom fans, with reports from the Daily Mail claiming that a permanent £5m move was in the offing.

Instead, it looks set to be a third successive loan move for Clarke, with Valerien Ismael edging closer to completing his second signing since becoming Albion boss.

The Verdict

This is a tiny blow for Albion as £5m would have been a bit of a steal for the club.

But Clarke is still undoubtedly a strong addition for the club even on loan. Derby may have struggled last season, but he was one of their standout performers in the heart of defence.

If Ismael sticks to his 3-4-3 system which served him well at Barnsley, then Clarke's ability to play as a left-sided centre-half would make him a perfect addition.