West Bromwich Albion have been dealt yet another blow in their bid to bring Trevoh Chalobah to The Hawthorns this summer.

What's the talk?

That's according to a report by French publication L'Equipe, who claimed that Crystal Palace and Watford have now joined the race to sign the Chelsea midfielder in the summer transfer window, while a host of clubs in France are also believed to be keen on a move for the 22-year-old.

It was previously reported that, following positive talks between the two parties, West Brom looked set to land the former England under-21 international this summer. However, following the latest update from France, it seems that Albion are no longer close to securing the signing of Chalobah.

Ismael surely livid

Considering just how impressive Chalobah was while on loan at Lorient last season, reports that the Baggies no longer seem the favourites to land the 22-year-old this summer is sure to have left Valerien Ismael seething.

Indeed, over his 29 Ligue 1 appearances for the French club last term, the £3.15m-rated defensively-minded midfielder averaged 2.4 interceptions, 1.6 tackles and 1.9 clearances and won 5.2 duels per game.

The man who Mark Hudson dubbed a "fantastic" player also chipped in for his team in an attacking capacity, bagging two goals, registering two assists and creating one big chance for his teammates, as well as taking 0.5 shots and making 0.3 key passes per match.

These returns saw the £12,000-per-week man earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.87, ranking him as Christophe Pelissier's joint fourth-best performer in the French top flight.

Furthermore, with Ismael currently only having Jake Livermore, Alex Mowatt and Romaine Sawyers as central midfield options, it would very much appear as if the position will be one of the Frenchman's priorities in the summer transfer window.

As such, considering his impressive performances last season, as well as the fact that Chelsea are considering letting the 22-year-old leave for nothing, the signing of Chalobah would have been something of a perfect deal for the new manager to get over the line ahead of next season.

However, with interest in the midfielder appearing to grow on a daily basis, it would now seem likely that Albion's offer would have to be hugely attractive in order for them to land the starlet this summer.

In other news: Ismael facing West Brom nightmare as Madeley makes worrying transfer claim