Good news: Albion are closing in on the permanent signing of Juventus left-back Gianluca Frabotta.

Juventus’ left-back Gianluca Frabotta is nearing a transfer to West Bromwich Albion. The 25-year-old defender is expected to undergo a medical examination with the Baggies as head coach Carlos Corberan completes the transfer process. Frabotta is being brought in to fill the void left by Conor Townsend, who recently moved to Ipswich.

West Brom will begin their Championship season against Queens Park Rangers on Saturday, and Frabotta, who has also been linked with QPR this summer, might be included in their squad.

Currently, Torbjorn Heggem is the only experienced left-back available for Corberan. Heggem, who played in the position during the recent 4-1 defeat to Birmingham City, is primarily a center-back. The addition of Frabotta, a former Italy youth international, could allow Heggem to return to his natural center-back role.

Frabotta has made 18 senior appearances for Juventus, scoring once, with 15 of those coming in the 2020/21 Serie A season. He still has two years remaining on his contract with Juventus, but it is anticipated that he will join West Brom on a permanent basis via a free transfer, signing a three-year contract.

Since joining Juventus in 2019, Frabotta has been loaned out five times. His loan spells included stints in Serie A with Hellas Verona and Lecce, which saw limited playtime, and Serie B with Frosinone, Bari, and Cosenza, where he saw more regular action.

Frabotta began his career in the youth system at Bologna, where Albion owner Shilen Patel holds a minority share. It has been a while since an Italian player represented West Brom, with the last ones being Enzo Maresca and Mario Bortolazzi in the late 1990s. Youngster Massimiliano Iezzi, who came from Roma’s youth system in 1999, also did not make a league appearance for the team and left after two years.