West Bromwich Albion boss Roy Hodgson is prepared to look elsewhere if Birmingham City dither over the permanent sale of Ben Foster.

Hodgson admits the timescale he expects City to put on any possible deal happening could force him to look elsewhere.

He said: "We need an answer because, at the moment, there a lot of talented keepers looking for clubs.

"We are in a position to attract people to the club, we can offer them Premier League football, good wages, a good football environment.

"What we've got to be careful of is not falling between two stools in waiting for Ben and hoping for Ben to join us.

"Suddenly when the day comes and we are told Ben is out of the question, suddenly all the other people we've been interested in are no longer available.

"Good quality keepers are not easy to find and they do tend to get snapped up when they are available.

"I would need to know what Birmingham's thoughts on the future are, whether they are in the Premier League or Championship.

"I fear they will want to keep things spinning along until the last moment, about May 5-6, but I'm not certain that will suit us."