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Fitness freak Tony Pulis has ordered his West Brom players to run a marathon every three days in pre-season training, writes Neil Moxley in the Sunday People.

Albion boss Pulis wants them running 26 miles every 72 hours ahead of the big kick-off next month.

The Welshman, who recently completed a gruelling row from London to Paris to raise money for a hospice, has overseen changes in the club’s sports science department and takes a tough line with regards to fitness.

And the Baggies’ first-team squad are finding that out the hard way on their current stay in Austria.

A club insider said: ”It’s brutal. There’s no other way to describe it.

"But Tony has always been a hands-on boss and if it ends with us being the fittest club in the Premier League, that’s no bad thing.”

However, news this week that West Brom are on the verge of a takeover by a Chinese consortium – as revealed by Sunday People Sport three months ago – has raised questions over the Welshman’s future.

(Image: Nigel Roddis)

The Dalian Wanda Group - owned by billionaire Wang Jianlin - is looking to invest in an English Premier League club, having already acquired a 20 per cent stake in Spanish side Atletico Madrid.

Pulis is believed to have a £2million break-clause in his contract and could walk away if he is unhappy with any aspect of the takeover.

West Brom's 2015-16 Premier League fixtures