West Bromwich Albion should not expect to receive more than £10m for the sale of Sam Johnstone.

What's the talk?

That's according to a claim made by The Sun journalist Tom Barclay, who stated in a recent interview with GIVEMESPORT that the Baggies are not likely to get anywhere near the £20m asking price they were demanding for the goalkeeper this summer if they decide to cash in on him this January.

Southampton, West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur are all reported to be monitoring the situation of the 28-year-old ahead of a potential swoop in the winter market.

Speaking about the potential fee Albion would receive for the England international, Barclay said: "You're looking at probably less than £10m. I'm speculating there, but I imagine it'd be less than £10m."

Fans would be devastated

Considering just how important a part of the West Brom side Johnstone has proven himself to be in recent years, should Albion receive a fee lower than £10m for the shot-stopper in the January transfer window, it would undoubtedly leave fans devastated.

Indeed, despite the club's ultimate relegation last season, the £7.2m-rated man nevertheless impressed over his 37 Premier League appearances, keeping six clean sheets and making an average of 4.5 saves per game - the most of any goalkeeper in the league.

These returns saw the £28k-per-week 'keeper earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.03, ranking him as West Brom's second-best performer in the top flight.

And, while Johnstone has not exactly been in the best form of his career over his 14 Championship appearances this season, he has still proven to be a fundamental part of Valerien Ismael's side, keeping six clean sheets and making an average of 1.5 saves per fixture.

These returns have seen the 28-year-old average a SofaScore match rating of 6.81, ranking him as the Baggies' 10th-best player in the second tier.

As such, considering his overall level of performance for the club, keeping hold of Johnstone until the end of his contract - which is due to expire at the end of the current campaign - would undoubtedly be worth much more than receiving a fee of under £10m for the shot-stopper in January.

Indeed, without the former Manchester United man between the sticks, West Brom's chances of going on to secure an immediate return to the Premier League would take a rather substantial hit, while keeping him at the risk of losing his services on a free next summer could well be enough to get Albion over the line in the promotion race - something that would bring a windfall of cash of a much higher value than his potential sale would generate in January. Consequently, this update is likely to crush fans.

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