West Brom will likely lose Matheus Pereira this summer and that'll be a devastating blow to Sam Allardyce, or whoever is in charge next season...

What's the word?

According to The Athletic, several Premier League teams, including local rivals Aston Villa, are monitoring the 24-year-old ahead of the transfer window, where many big decisions will need to be made over the current Albion squad.

Express & Star journalist Joseph Masi has since given his verdict to the 'Baggies broadcast' podcast, he said:

"I think he will leave, where he’ll go is the big, big question really. Albion will set their valuation and he won’t leave until that valuation is met, that’s a given. The question is how much is he worth - I think he’s worth about £18m, add-ons could take it to £21m."

Worrying news

After a difficult start to life in the top-flight, the Brazilian playmaker has finally found his feet and "seems at home" in the big time, so it's hardly a surprise that other teams will be circling like vultures with West Brom likely to go back down to the Championship.

Pereira has been one of the few shining lights of the Baggies' dismal campaign. He tops the charts for goals scored (nine) and assists provided (five) and is currently their second-highest rated player (6.91), as per WhoScored figures.

In the first half of the season, the £11.7m-rated Albion maestro struggled to provide a spark on the pitch and looked rather dejected off it but that soon changed at the turn of the year.

Only Harry Kane has contributed a higher proportion of his team's goals this term - that's how pivotal Pereira is to West Brom, so to lose him will be a huge blow to Big Sam - if he stays.

"I wouldn’t say he’s up there right at the top as world-class, but he certainly has the potential to be a top-class Premier League player in his continued development at his young age," claimed Allardyce following their 2-2 draw with Villa at the weekend, via The Athletic.

"When he’s committed like he was tonight, when he works as hard as he did and when he shows the ability that he showed then he’s certainly a big difference and a big-game player, certainly for West Brom, and can be, moving along, with that quality of performance as he gets more mature."

Dubbed a "genius" by former Nurnberg coach Nate Weiss and lauded for his "brilliant" set-piece ability by Jermaine Jenas, many at the Hawthorns will be gutted to see him leave but it's merely an unfortunate consequence of their sorry Premier League plight.

AND in other news, Out-of-work manager would take West Brom job, Dowling must now act...