Albion's pounds 1m for Mattock accepted; Baggies secure deal for Mattock.

Byline: Chris Lepkowski

ALBION have had a fee in excess of pounds 1 million accepted by Leicester City for defender Joe Mattock.

The Baggies inquired about the left-back a few days ago, as revealed in Wednesday's Birmingham Mail.

The deal looked a nonstarter initially, but the Foxes agreed to accept an undisclosed seven figure sum for the 19-year-old, thought to be just over the pounds 1 million mark, after he handed in a transfer request.

Albion will now discuss personal terms with Mattock, who will also need to undergo a medical, before he can complete the move. Any deal is unlikely to be finalised in time for him to play any part in tomorrow's game against Newcastle but Albion hope to have the under-21 international on board ready for Tuesday night's Carling Cup game against Bury.

Mattock's arrival will not jeopardise Marek Cech's future at the club either, as he may yet be handed a berth on the left-hand side of Albion's midfield. Leicester-born Mattock has made 67 appearances for the Foxes during his swift rise to prominence and has also been capped at under-17 and under-19 level for England. Meanwhile, Roberto Di Matteo has not ruled out a future move for Colo Colo defender Gonzalo Jara. Albion called off their pursuit of the Chilean earlier this week, despite agreeing a fee with his club. But the Baggies head-coach claims the deal for the utility man may yet be rekindled. "It's not dead yet but we still have to work on it," said Di Matteo, whose side takes on Newcastle tomorrow.

CAPTION(S):

Roberto Di Matteo.