West Bromwich Albion have rejected Premier League Watford’s loan bid for defender Craig Dawson.

Sky Sports have reported on their live blog (August 8, 13:24) that the initial season-long move has been dismissed by the Baggies.

Dawson is keen to escape The Hawthorns having handed in a transfer request earlier in the summer in the hope of engineering a move away from the Championship side.

Watford were ready to splash out on an initial loan fee of £750,000 which would have included the option to buy the former Rochdale defender; Sky Sports live blog (August 8, 13:24) is also reporting. 

The deal for a permanent transfer would have been £2.5million over four years, totalling £10million for the 28-year-old.

Dawson made 32 appearances for the Baggies as they were relegated from the Premier League.

The Verdict

It looks like West Brom are looking to get rid of him on a permanent basis instead of an initial loan.

Dawson has not featured in the Baggies’ first two league games in the Championship so far and has been an outcast since handing in a transfer request.

The loan to a full sale is an enticing one to get the defender off the books, but West Brom could be holding out for more.

Time is running out for Darren Moore to offload the wantaway centre-back and will have to seriously consider any more offers going forward with the window closing in 24 hours.