West Bromwich Albion have been dealt a blow in their bid to keep Kyle Bartley at The Hawthorns this summer.
What's the talk?
That's according to a report by The Telegraph (via Football League World), who claim that both Newcastle United and Crystal Palace are keeping a very close eye on the situation of the Albion centre-back ahead of a potential move in the summer transfer window.
The report continues by stating that, with the 30-year-old now entering the final year of his current deal with the Baggies, an offer of around £3m should be enough to convince the Championship side to part with the defender this summer.
Fans will be worried
It is unsurprising to learn of the Premier League interest in Bartley, as, despite the fact West Brom suffered relegation back to the second tier last season, the former England U17 international nevertheless impressed from the centre of the Albion defence.
Indeed, over his 30 Premier League appearances, the £2.25m-rated man helped his side keep four clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.3 interceptions, 0.9 tackles, 5.3 clearances and winning 4.8 duels per game.
Bartley also impressed in an attacking capacity, scoring three goals, providing one assist and creating two big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 0.5 shots and making 0.2 key passes per league fixture.
These returns saw the man Chris Lepkowski dubbed a "brilliant" player earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.88, ranking him as the Baggies' sixth-best performer in the top flight of English football.
As such, if the club were to lose the services of the £15k-per-week centre-back this summer, it would not only come as a blow to Ismael, as the 45-year-old would then be faced with the challenging task of replacing the 30-year-old ahead of next season, but it would also be gutting for fans of the club, who would almost certainly miss seeing the tough-tackling defender in action at The Hawthorns.
In other news: Crook confirms transfer news on £450k-rated beast, it's good news for West Brom