West Bromwich Albion have been handed a boost to their chances of keeping Sam Johnstone at The Hawthorns this summer.

What's the talk?

That's according to a report by the Evening Standard, who claim that West Ham United are now no longer in the race for the Albion goalkeeper this summer, as David Moyes has been put off by the £10m+ asking price that the Baggies placed on the 28-year-old.

It has been reported that Arsenal are also keeping tabs on the situation of the England international ahead of a potential move this summer, while Valerien Ismael has claimed that he expects Johnstone to leave the club before the end of the window.

Fans surely buzzing

While West Ham backing out of the race for Johnstone in no way means that he will certainly remain a West Brom player next season, it is undeniable that David Moyes' hesitation over a move for the shot-stopper has provided Albion with a considerable boost to their chances of retaining his services this summer.

And, considering just how impressive the 'keeper was for the Baggies last season, should he indeed remain at The Hawthorns for 2021/22, it would undoubtedly provide Valerien Ismael with a much greater chance of going on to secure an immediate return to the Premier League at the first time of asking, as well as being something that would have fans of the club buzzing.

Indeed, over his 37 Premier League appearances last term, the £7.2m-rated man helped his side keep six clean sheets, as well as making an average of 4.5 saves and 0.4 successful run outs per game, in addition to making a total of 166 stops over the course of the season.

These returns saw the man Sam Allardyce dubbed a "magnificent" player earn an average SofaScore match rating of 7.03, ranking him as the Baggies' second-best performer in the top flight of English football.

As such, keeping the £28k-per-week man at the club this summer would be a fantastic outcome for the club, perhaps even being one of the best pieces of transfer business Ismael could do ahead of next season, and, with West Ham no longer interested in the 28-year-old, the chances of his departure appear to have significantly decreased.

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