West Bromwich Albion have approached Wigan over £900,000-rated defender Cedric Kipre but are yet to submit a formal bid, according to a report from the Express & Star.

The Baggies are preparing for life in the Premier League after they finished second in the Championship last term and secured automatic promotion.

Slaven Bilic will likely want to strengthen his options defensively ahead of a season in the top flight and it appears he's keen to raid Wigan following their administration and subsequent relegation.

According to the Express & Star, West Brom have approached the Latics about signing Cipre but are yet to make a formal bid for the player.

The 23-year-old central defender is understood to be available for £900,000.

A product of the Leicester City academy, Kipre joined Wigan from Motherwell in August 2018 and has been a mainstay in the Latics side since – making 77 appearances in total.

In Semi Ajayi, Kyle Bartley, and Ahmed Hegazi, Bilic has some trusted centre-backs in his squad but it is an area that you feel could do with bolstering.

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The Verdict

Signing Kipre for less than £1 million would be a bargain, there is absolutely no doubt about that.

Is he ready to feature regularly in the Premier League? I'm not sure but with a bit of patience, the 23-year-old could grow into a starter and be Ajayi's long-term partner, with both Bartley and Hegazi nearing the end of their current contracts.

From that perspective, it looks a move worth doing to me – particularly as Kipre's value is surely only going to increase over the next few seasons.