West Ham United are potentially set to lose defender Ben Johnson in the future, with the academy graduate yet to sign a new deal at the club.

What's the word?

According to club insider Claret and Hugh, the 22-year-old is currently holding out on signing a new deal with the Hammers, with his current contract set to expire in the summer of 2024.

The report suggests that the club have been in contact with the England U21 international's representatives regarding an extension for 'several months', although at present the east Londoners appear 'no closer' to reaching an agreement.

The piece goes on to add that although negotiations may resume in the coming months, it could well depend on an improvement in the Premier League form of David Moyes' side to 'help talks along'.

Perkins repeat

The London Stadium outfit will likely be fearing the worst with regards to Johnson's future, with the club potentially facing the prospect of losing the full-back for nothing if he does not extend his existing deal.

The Irons have previous with regards to seeing academy talents run down their deals at the club in search of pastures new, with the likes of Jeremy Ngakia and - more recently - Sonny Perkins having left on a 'free' in recent times.

In the case of the latter man, the teenage star was no first-team regular - having made just three appearances at senior level - although had been tipped for big things by those at West Ham, having been earmarked as the "next Declan Rice", as per ExWHUemployee.

As such, the Hammers were unsurprisingly frustrated at seeing the exciting talent depart over the summer having rejected the offer of a professional contract, with the 18-year-old forward subsequently joining fellow top-flight club, Leeds United.

Much to the annoyance of those back at his former club, the Englishman has already "hit the ground running" in his new surroundings - according to Leeds' U21 coach Michael Skubala -  having already proven himself something of a "goal machine" with six goals in just five Premier League 2 games.

Having been forced to watch the impressive starlet begin to blossom at Elland Road, Moyes and co will not want to see history repeat itself in the form of Johnson, with the defender's possible departure a potentially even greater blow such has been his impact at first-team level to date.

The £19k-per-week titan has already racked up 64 appearances in all competitions for the club thus far, proving himself a real "wonderful" asset - in the words of former coach Stuart Pearce - with his ability to feature all across the backline.

Last term proved particularly fruitful for the 5 foot 9 menace - who is currently sidelined with a thigh injury - as he made 34 appearances across all competitions, eight of which came as part of the club's stunning Europa League run.

A valued squad member due to his versatility, Johnson is a player that West Ham simply can't afford to lose, with the case of Perkins a cautionary tale of just what can happen if the club allow a contract to ebb towards its expiry.