Fresh from relegation, Ciaran Clark may be set to switch allegiances

Ciaran Clark's potential new club is just a stone's throw away.

The Aston Villa defender may be about to make the four-mile trip across Birmingham to the Hawthorns as Tony Pulis reportedly wants to rescue the 26-year-old from his relegation nightmare. West Brom are in the market for a new centre-half and Pulis sees Clark as the perfect candidate, according to a report in The Sun. Clark is keen on moving straight back to the Premier League after Villa were relegated with a club-record low of 17 points. Clark has a £5m (€6.5m) release clause in his contract so he will be free to leave once that price is met but the Baggies are optimistic that Villa may be willing to part with him for less. No deal is likely to be done until after this summer's European Championships at which Clark will play a vital role for the Republic of Ireland.