Championship outfit West Bromwich Albion are currently monitoring Blackburn Rovers duo Joe Rothwell and Darragh Lenihan ahead of potential approaches in the summer, according to Alan Nixon's Patreon report.
The pair have been integral to Tony Mowbray's side's success this term, forming a key part of Rovers' spine and establishing themselves as two of the second-tier side's better performers during the 2021/22 campaign.
However, their respective contracts at Ewood Park expire at the end of the campaign and with neither player putting pen to paper on fresh terms yet, it's looking more and more likely that they will move on from the Lancashire club in the coming months.
One side who are considering whether to take the pair off their second-tier rivals' hands is West Brom, who have endured a poor campaign this term but still have ambitions of returning to the Premier League in the coming years after spending last season competing in the top tier of English football.
Spending £7m on Daryl Dike back in January, Albion may be operating under a restricted budget again this summer like they did last year, with manager Steve Bruce hinting that they will be looking at the free-agent market.
The Baggies are likely to face competition for both though, with Lenihan recently being linked with a move to Burnley and AFC Bournemouth still keeping tabs on Rothwell at this stage.
The Verdict:
If Albion can get deals for both over the line, something that's realistic considering the size of the Baggies, that would be an exceptional bit of business and they would certainly be two regular starters.
Their defence may not have been all that bad this season and that was emphasised by their solid performance against Reading yesterday - but Matt Clarke is set to head back to Brighton as things stand so they need a replacement to come in there.
That extra option should allow Connor Townsend to remain out on the left-hand side for the long term, something that's important considering the limited number of options they have at wing-back at this stage.
And in terms of the midfield, you could definitely argue that they need a shake-up with Jake Livermore potentially needing to come out of the team. He may be a decent option to have at this level - but freshening things up has to be a priority after seeing things go stale at The Hawthorns.
Rothwell will definitely provide something different with his three goals and ten assists this season, helping to add firepower to a West Brom team that have been poor in front of goal for much of this season.