West Bromwich Albion have been dealt a blow in their attempts to bring Trevoh Chalobah to The Hawthorns this summer.

What's the talk?

That's according to a claim made by the Express & Star journalist Joesph Masi, who revealed in a post on Twitter that a number of Premier League clubs have joined the race for the Chelsea midfielder.

It had previously been reported that the 22-year-old looked on course to complete a switch to the Championship side in the summer transfer window, however, in Masi's latest article for the Express & Star, the journalist claims that Brentford, along with a number of other top-flight teams, are now also in the race for the former England U21 international.

Ismael will be livid

Considering that it very much looked as if West Brom had a deal for the defensive midfielder all but done, the fact that a number of other sides are now also reported to be in the race for the Chelsea youngster is sure to make Valerien Ismael livid.

Indeed, during a loan spell at FC Lorient, Chalobah proved that he boasts a considerable amount of talent, so, in all honesty, it is unsurprising to learn of interest in his services from the Premier League.

Over his 29 Ligue 1 appearances for the Ligue 1 side last season, the £3.15m-rated man made an average of 2.4 interceptions, 1.6 tackles, 1.9 clearances and won an impressive 5.2 duels per game.

The player Paul Lambert dubbed a "complete" midfielder also impressed in an attacking capacity, scoring two goals, providing two assists and creating one big chance for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 0.5 shots and making 0.3 key passes in each league appearance.

These returns saw the £12k-per-week man earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.87, ranking him as Christophe Pelissier's joint fourth-best performer in the top flight of French football.

As such, getting a deal over the line for Chalobah this summer would have undoubtedly been a fantastic signing for Ismael, particularly considering the fact Chelsea are willing to let the midfielder leave for free, as well as the Frenchman's current lack of options in the middle of the park at Albion.

However, with Brentford now firmly in the race for the youngster, the 45-year-old Baggies boss will have his work cut out in convincing the 22-year-old of a move to the Championship rather than the Premier League this summer.

In other news: Percy drops transfer update on "quality" £21k-p/w beast, West Brom fans surely buzzing