West Bromwich Albion confirm Gareth McAuley, Claudio Yacob contract talks

West Bromwich Albion have confirmed that they have opened talks with defender Gareth McAuley and midfielder Claudio Yacob over new contracts.

McAuley's current deal with the Baggies expires at the end of the month, while the club are keen to extend the stay of Yacob beyond next season after they used the option on his contract.

West Brom's director of football administration Richard Garlick told the club's official website: "We are being linked with, quite strongly in some cases, all manner of players from all corners of the globe and the stories are simply not true.

"What I can say is that we have spoken to the agents of Claudio and Gareth and we have now made our offers to them and I'm waiting a response. The stories build an expectation of business which the fans feed on and I don't think that helps us in the long term.

"This time last year we were able to complete on the Craig Gardner deal because he was a free transfer and a great fit for us. We had nothing like that this time around. Tony has made it clear that he wants to shake things up so we are not resting on our laurels. But it is important for supporters to stay calm."

Tony Pulis's men finished 13th in the Premier League last season.