West Brom are 'very close' to selling midfielder Matheus Pereira to Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal, reports Joseph Masi.

The Lowdown - Saga of the Summer for Baggies

West Brom star Pereira is now finally set to leave West Brom ahead of the 2021/22 league season, after the midfielder caught the eye with a number of strong performances during last year's campaign for the Baggies.

Pereira chipped in with 12 goals and six assists for West Brom last term, although his efforts weren't quite enough to see them avoid relegation back into the Championship.

The 25-year-old has previously revealed that he was keen to pursue a new challenge, with the likes of Leicester City and West Ham United reportedly being keen on landing his signature this summer.

The Latest - Deal 'very close'

Al-Hilal that have seemingly won the race to sign Pereira, with the Express and Star's Joseph Masi claiming that a deal is nearly finalised.

"Matheus Pereira's move to Al Hilal now very close to completion, I understand," he said on Twitter on Thursday morning.

"Player set for a medical. According to Fabrizio Romano that medical will take place in Paris."

The verdict - Massive boost

The midfielder scored eight goals and was on hand to provide 20 assists in the 2019/20 season, as he played a starring role in the club's promotion-winning campaign under the management of Slaven Bilic. He then followed that up with a strong season in the top-flight with the Baggies,

With an average Whoscored rating of 6.96 from the 2020/21 season, Pereira was West Brom's joint-best performer alongside Okay Yokuslu, which certainly makes for impressive reading.

Former boss Sam Allardyce tipped Pereira to become a 'top class' player in the future, and deep down most fans knew he has probably now outgrown the second tier.

Therefore, this actually comes as a major boost for the club and for Valerien Ismael, providing far more funds for the transfer kitty than would have otherwise been on offer.

If Ismael can spin Pereira's sale into a like-for-like replacement with money left over for other new signings, this would become a very successful summer window for the Baggies.