The video will start in 8 Cancel

Sign up NOW for daily Baggies news straight to your inbox Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

West Brom are close to finalising an £850,000 loan deal for Egypt international defender Ahmed Hegazy.

The Al Ahly ace will join on a season-long loan with a view to a permanent move worth around £4million.

Ahly's football director Sayed Abdel-Hafiz confirmed the Egypytian champions have accepted an offer from the Baggies.

"Hegazy chose to play for West Bromwich. We also preferred to allow his departure, as we didn't want to force him to stay," he told Egyptian sports website FilGoal.com early on Saturday.

Albion have been looking at defensive reinforcements this summer and are also keen on Inter Milan defender Andrea Ranocchia who spent last season on loan at Hull City.

But KingFut - a media outlet in Africa are tonight reporting that an agreement has been reached for Hegazi who will cost Albion an initial £1million loan fee.

The Egyptian international, 26,, who has had a previous - rather unsuccessful - spell in Serie A, is known as the “Nesta of the Pyramids”, such is his dominance at the back.

He was given the nickname in comparison to Italian legend Alessandro Nesta.

Baggies boss Tony Pulis wants to strengthen his backline further this summer but is also desperate to keep hold of Jonny Evans who is wanted by Leicester City.