West Brom in Naismith talks

WEST Bromwich Albion have confirmed they have opened talks with Rangers to sign Scotland international forward Steven Naismith.

Naismith, 25, looks set to leave Rangers for a cut-price fee this summer following the wage cut that was imposed at Ibrox.

Midweek reports indicated that Rangers had turned down a bid for the player, but Albion’s sporting and technical director Dan Ashworth has made contact with the club to try and lay the groundwork for a deal and the English club’s manager Roy Hodgson said: “I know that Dan and I have talked about it. Dan has been in contact with Glasgow Rangers but to what extent a bid has been made, I don’t know, or what bid has been made I don’t know.

“But, yes, Steven Naismith is a player who, when he accepted to reduce his wages, it was fairly obvious Glasgow Rangers might not be able to keep and as a result we are entitled to make an inquiry.”

Naismith, who signed for Rangers from Kilmarnock in 2007 and is under contract at Ibrox until 2015, has been sidelined since suffering knee ligament damage in October and will not play again this season.

After scoring 16 goals in season 2010/11, Naismith had already found the net ten times this season before injury struck.