West Brom are set to complete the permanent signing of Matheus Pereira, Slaven Bilic has recently confirmed. 

Pereira arrived on loan from Sporting Lisbon in the summer transfer window, and has played a starring role in the Baggies' bid for promotion into the Premier League.

The winger has scored six goals and been on hand to provide 16 assists in his 34 appearances in all competitions this term for the promotion-chasing Baggies.

The Express and Star have revealed that a permanent deal worth £9million is set to be completed in the near future, with Bilic announcing that the agreement is set to be confirmed after their match against Birmingham City on Saturday.

"He will become our player if he plays on Saturday.

"That is very likely to happen, of course, unless something crazy happens. But definitely we are delighted that it is happening."

Bilic highlighted the importance of the permanent deal, and expressed his delight at being set to complete the deal to sign him this weekend.

"It’s all been sorted. Since day one, he has proven to be one of the biggest reasons why we are where we are. It’s great to have a situation where we have him permanently.

"He is a game changer. He dictates a game. He makes decisions and he influences games in the area of the pitch where it is most difficult to make them. That’s why those players are of such big value and why we are delighted to have him."

West Brom are currently sat second in the Championship table, and will be hoping they can finish this year's campaign strongly when they return to competitive action against Birmingham on Saturday.

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The Verdict: 

This is brilliant news for West Brom.

I'll admit that I had my doubts as to whether Pereira would be able to adjust to the physical demands of English football, but his pace and trickery on the ball have shown that he can trouble any full-back in the Championship.

I certainly feel as though he's capable of making the step up to the Premier League next season as well, so it'll be interesting to see how he copes in the top-flight if West Brom win promotion.

It would have been a no-brainer for the Baggies to take up their option to sign Pereira permanently as well, and they'll be delighted to have the agreement in place.