CHRIS Baird was last night closing in on a move to West Bromwich Albion.

Baird spent the final weeks of the 2013/14 season at Burnley, making seven appearances to help the Clarets reach the Premier League.

The 32-year-old had only joined Burnley on a short-term deal but boss Sean Dyche had been interested in bringing the Northern Ireland international defender back to Turf Moor for the new campaign.

Baird has considerable top flight experience from his days at Southampton and Fulham, and the Clarets’ interest remained despite the club recently making no official mention of Baird in a list of players in negotiations over contracts. But Burnley knew that Baird faced a difficult decision if he was to rejoin the club, with his family based in the south.

West Bromwich Albion have held an interest in Baird for some time and, following the recent appointment of Alan Irvine as their new head coach, they have made their move to capture the right back for the 2014/15 campaign.

Baird was reported to be undergoing a medical with the West Midlands club yesterday as he puts the finishing touches on a move to the Hawthorns, having also held discussions over personal terms.

West Brom were keen to wrap the move up quickly, with their squad returning to pre-season training today.

Burnley were always realistic that they could miss out on Baird and had already been assessing other defensive targets as they look to strengthen their squad in readiness for their tilt at the Premier League.