WEST Bromwich Albion today lodged a new cash-plus-player bid to snap up Burnley starlet Richard Chaplow.

I understand Albion chairman Jeremy Peace faxed an improved cash offer to Burnley counterpart Barry Kilby this morning, with James O'Connor again included as a potential makeweight.

The Baggies had vowed to re-open negotiations for the Clarets midfielder earlier this week after seeing their original attempt fall well short of Burnley's own valuation.

And with the transfer window closing at midnight next Monday, the Premiership strugglers have now upped the stakes to try to land their man.

However, Albion boss Bryan Robson has warned he will not pay over the odds for Clarets ace Chaplow, whose focus for tomorrow's FA Cup fourth round tie with Bournemouth is sure to have been clouded by the uncertainty surrounding his footballing future.

Robson, who is desperate to sign a central midfielder after missing out on Argentinean target Matias Almeyda, said: "The negotiations have been left to the two chairmen.

"Those talks will be on-going and hopefully that will come off, but we will not buy just for the sake of bringing someone in during January.

"The fee has got to be reasonable and if Burnley go beyond what we feel is a fair valuation of the player then the deal will not happen. We won't be held to ransom!"

Meanwhile, Burnley boss Steve Cotterill is close to a clean bill of health for the visit of the Cherries. Danny Coyne's return to action in the reserves in midweek means that only Michael Duff remains on the injured list after failing to recover from the calf injury that has ruled him out of the last two games.

Cotterill said: "It's important we get people back and hopefully we're coming towards the end of the problems we've had.

"I still don't have any selection problems, but it all adds competition for places and now we need to have that over a sustained period.

"There's no point in having it one week, then not the following week. I know (Amadou) Sanokho didn't play a lot, but he was in the squad and now we haven't got him or James O'Connor, who has gone back to West Brom.