Soccer-West Brom interested in signing Defoe, says Pulis

West Bromwich Albion are interested in signing Sunderland's top scorer Jermain Defoe following his side's relegation from the Premier League, West Brom manager Tony Pulis said on Friday.

The future of the recalled England international at the Stadium of Light is less than certain as a clause in his contract allows him to leave the club as a free agent in the event of relegation. Defoe has netted 14 of the 26 league goals Sunderland have scored this season.

"Effectively he's a free agent, but there's also a huge cost that comes along with that, whichever club takes him," Pulis told the British media ahead of their Premier League trip to Burnley on Saturday.

"We've got our fingers in a few pies and if Jermain is one of them, we'll be pushing on that one.

"We have to improve and make the 11 better, and then that makes the club better."

West Brom winger Matt Phillips and striker Hal-Robson Kanu will miss the weekend's clash as they have failed to recover from hamstring injuries.

Pulis' side, currently eighth in the league, have lost momentum since avoiding relegation and have suffered four consecutive defeats for the first time this season.

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)