West Brom ready to rival Preston to sign the next Cleary from Aston Villa

West Bromwich Albion are one of a number of teams who have been credited with an interest in signing young forward Reyes Cleary this summer.

The Barnsley forward had been linked to the Baggies and Birmingham City for a fee of £3m, but it has since been revealed that the League One outfit want a fee in excess of £3m for his services.

However, James Morrison’s side have not been credited with making a formal approach or holding any talks with Barnsley about a deal for the 22-year-old attacker.

It has only been 12 months since the Baggies opted to sell Clearly to them after he had come through the ranks in the academy set-up at The Hawthorns.

The mistake that West Brom made with Reyes Cleary

The club made a big mistake with Cleary because they cashed in on him before he had the chance to get a run of games under his belt in the first-team for West Brom.

Prior to signing for Barnsley, the young forward made two substitute appearances in the Championship for the Baggies before they opted to part ways with him.

That was despite the fact that he racked up 29 goals in 32 U18 games and 28 goals in 36 outings for the U21s at academy level as a prolific winger.

In his first season of being given the chance to play regular first-team football, Cleary produced 20 goal contributions in 42 matches as a left winger for Barnsley in League One last term.

His incredible form for the third tier outfit suggests that the Baggies made a huge mistake when they did not give him more opportunities to shine, and now they will have to pay a fee in excess of £3m if they want to bring him back to The Hawthorns.

How West Brom can sign their own Reyes Cleary

Instead of splashing out several millions to bring Cleary back to the club, though, the board could sign another former academy star to bolster their options out wide.

OnTheMinute reports that West Bromwich Albion and Preston North End are both showing an interest in Aston Villa attacker Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba.

The outlet claims that both clubs are considering a swoop to land the versatile forward player before the end of the summer transfer window.

It adds that the Villans may weigh up the best possible path to first-team minutes for the youngster, which means that it remains to be seen who the favourites for his signature are.

The Baggies signed Jimoh-Aloba on loan for the second half of last season to add more depth to their attacking options, as he can play on either flank, as a number ten, or as a striker.

Whilst he did not hit the ground running and set the Championship on fire in his short time on loan, the 19-year-old talent did show some flashes of promise.

The teenage attacker created two ‘big chances’ in four starts in the second tier, which shows that he has the potential to offer creativity in the final third, and assisted a goal in a 3-0 win over Hull, who went on to win promotion to the Premier League.

Jimoh-Aloba came off the bench to burst down the right side of the box and flash the ball across for Aune Heggebo to make it 2-0 on the day, showing good movement and composure in the box.

The England U20 international still has more to offer, though, as he scored 22 goals and provided ten assists in 62 games for Aston Villa’s U18s, U19s, and U21s combined before making a first-team breakthrough.

Like Cleary at West Brom, Jimoh-Aloba has proven himself to be an impressive performer in the final third at youth level, but now he needs a run of matches over the course of a season to prove himself in a first-team environment.

REUTERS/Isabel Infantes

Preston or West Brom, therefore, could sign their own version of Cleary by bringing in the Villans youngster to offer him the same chance that Barnsley offered the 22-year-old last year.

That is why the Baggies should push to re-sign their former academy talent because he could emerge as a quality attacking option if he can finally translate his youth form over to EFL football.