West Bromwich Albion have been dealt a major blow in their bid to keep Matheus Pereira at The Hawthorns this summer.

What's the talk?

That's according to a report by The Express, who claim that West Ham United have opened talks with the Baggies over a £25m deal for the winger.

The report states that David Moyes has now stepped up his side's interest in the 25-year-old as the Premier League club's primary target in the position, Jesse Lingard, now looks as if he is set to stay at Manchester United.

Finally, it is claimed that the deal currently being discussed between the two clubs is initially a season-long loan, with the Hammers having an obligation to buy the Brazilian in 12 months time.

Nightmare for Ismael

With the start of the new Championship season now being just a little over a week away, the fact that it has taken so long for a club to make a move for Pereira is something of a nightmare for Valerien Ismael.

Indeed, aside from the idea of the winger remaining at West Brom beyond the summer, should West Ham go on to complete a move for the 25-year-old in the coming days, the Albion manager does not exactly have a great deal of time to bring in a replacement for the £13.5m-rated man.

The same could also be said for the Frenchman's other targets in the summer transfer window, as it was common knowledge that, in order for the Baggies to bring in new additions this summer, they would first have to sell one or two of their stars.

However, with it now being relatively late in the transfer window, Ismael could well have already missed out on a number of his first-choice targets in a particular position, something that would undoubtedly have frustrated the 45-year-old.

Furthermore, away from the inconvenience of the timing of West Ham's swoop, losing a player as talented as the £39k-per-week forward will undoubtedly be a major blow to Albion's chances of securing an immediate return to the Premier League next season.

As such, it would appear this update will be gutting news for fans of West Brom, with the day they have to wave goodbye to Pereira being a day many would have hoped never came.

In other news: Imagine him & Mowatt: West Brom initiate talks for 26y/o, he makes a "big difference"