West Bromwich Albion have paved the way for Luke Steele to fulfil his FA Cup dream with Barnsley. The goalkeeper is on loan from West Brom and has helped the Yorkshire club eliminate Liverpool and Chelsea on their way to a semi-final meeting with Cardiff City on April 6.

His initial one-month deal expires this Friday but West Brom, who will face Portsmouth in the other semi-final, are happy to allow the 23-year-old to remain at Oakwell - with a couple of provisos.

West Brom have been subsidising Steele's wages during his first month with Barnsley because of their financial situation. Given the lucrative rewards Barnsley have reaped from their cup run, Albion would now want their Coca-Cola Championship rivals to pay Steele's wages in full should the loan be extended.

They would also be looking for Steele, who has 15 months left on his West Brom contract, to join Barnsley on a permanent basis in the summer as part of the agreement and would be willing to grant him a free transfer.

Steele joined West Brom from Manchester United at the start of last season as part of the deal that also saw Paul McShane move to the Hawthorns. But it is clear he has no long-term future at West Brom and their current No 1, Dean Kiely, recently signed a new contract.

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