West Brom 'make contact' with Sheffield Wednesday star as Oxford United close on Chelsea goalkeeper

West Bromwich Albion are reportedly hoping to beat Midlands rivals Birmingham City to the signing of Sheffield Wednesday star Josh Windass.

The former Rangers and Wigan Athletic attacking midfielder is something of a cult hero at Hillsborough after helping the Owls secure a return to the Championship when he scored the only goal of their League One play-off final win against Barnsley in May last year. Windass went on to score seven goals and provide two assists in 28 appearances to help Danny Rohl’s side preserve their second tier status - but he will be out of contract next week and is said to be attracting the attention of a number of Championship clubs.

Speaking midway through the season about speculation linking him with a move away from Hillsborough, Windass said:  “To be honest I just let my agent deal with that sort of stuff, but obviously I know I’m out of contract and when a player of my quality is on a free I know stuff like that is going to happen… I’m just trying to concentrate on playing well and scoring goals here, and I’ve said that if I was thinking of signing a pre contract or anything like that then I told Danny he’d be the first one I’d go to. But that’s not the case…"

There were high hopes an agreement over a new deal could be found in recent weeks - but The Sheffield Star have revealed it is now ‘increasingly unlikely’ Windass will be handed a chance to extend his time with Wednesday. Birmingham reportedly retain an interest in the attacking midfielder despite their relegation into League One and BirminghamWorld have now claimed West Brom are ‘expected to challenge’ the Blues for his signature. The Baggies are said to be keen on a deal for the 30-year-old and have now made contact with Windass’ representatives to ‘gauge his level of interest in a move’.

Championship new boys close on Chelsea move

Oxford United’s plans for their return to the Championship are set to receive a boost as the League One play-off winners close on the signing of Chelsea goalkeeper Jamie Cumming.

The 24-year-old stopper spent the second half of last season on loan at the Kassam Stadium and played a key role in helping Des Buckingham’s side earn promotion into English football’s second tier. Cumming returned to Stamford Bridge at the end of the campaign and has one year remaining on his current deal with the Premier League giants - but The Sun journalist Alan Nixon has now claimed Cumming is set to return to Oxford on a permanent basis after Chelsea gave the green light to a deal.

Speaking about his loan stint with the U’s, Cumming towards the end of last season said: “To be honest, it’s been up and down. There have been tough moments, and I’ve had tough moments and good moments. Worrying about what’s happened in the past doesn’t make any difference and doesn’t help you in any form of life.”