LONDON • West Bromwich Albion have turned down a transfer request submitted by Saido Berahino, their England Under-21 striker, and reaffirmed their stance that selling the 22-year-old is "simply not on the agenda".

The player was the subject of a £15 million (S$33.5 million) bid from Tottenham Hotspur last week that was rejected by West Brom chairman Jeremy Peace.

The London side are expected to table an improved offer. Manchester United are also believed to be monitoring developments.

The striker was omitted from the squad to face Chelsea on Sunday because manager Tony Pulis felt that weeks of "15 clubs saying things, doing things" had served to disrupt the player's focus.

Berahino, scorer of 14 league goals last season, submitted a written request to move on Monday, hoping to force West Brom's hand before the final week of the transfer window.

But the club refused to accept it.

A statement on the West Bromwich Albion website said their position remains unchanged and they were "going forward with Saido very much in our plans".

West Brom do, at least, have a potential replacement for the striker should Peace eventually receive an offer that he feels is too good to turn down.

The club's record signing Salomon Rondon impressed on his first home outing against Chelsea following his £12 million move from Zenit St Petersburg.

The Venezuelan created their first goal and drew the foul for which John Terry, the visiting team's captain, was sent off.

It was a fine first impression, despite the 2-3 loss, and the 25-year-old believes that there is more to come.

"I feel good, I feel comfortable here," he said.

"It is a very physical, very fast sort of football but it is similar to Russia in terms of the amount of contact. It is a type of football that suits me."

The Baggies - who have one point after three games - also signed Rickie Lambert from Liverpool during the close season.

THE TIMES, LONDON