West Bromwich Albiuon have snapped up Rochdale defender Craig Dawson in a £600,000 deal but the youngster is set to return to Spotland on loan.
The Baggies have followed up the swoop for Austria international Paul Scharner with a deal for the 20-year-old, who is highly rated by the League One side.
Club scout Bobby Hope watched Dawson in action for Dale in their Carling Cup defeat at Birmingham last week, and the defender has carved out a decent reputation for himself, playing 45 times for them and scoring 10 goals.
He will be loaned back to Rochdale initially but is tipped to have a bright future in the game and should be at the Hawthorns on a permanent basis by the start of next season at the latest.
Meanwhile, Albion are not expected to make any further signings on transfer deadline day but they could allow players to leave if the right offers come in.
Gianni Zuiverloon and Abdoulaye Meite are both available for transfer, while the club are also keen to offload Luke Moore but as yet no serious bids have been made for any of those players.