Transfer News: Tottenham trailing West Ham United in Sam Johnstone pursuit
According to ESPN, West Ham United are leading Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United in the race to sign goalkeeper Sam Johnstone from West Bromwich Albion.
Johnstone, a product of the Manchester United youth academy, joined West Bromwich Albion in the summer of 2018, in a deal worth £6.5m. Since then, he has been a permanent fixture in goal for the Baggies, helping them earn promotion to the Premier League.
While their return campaign to the top-flight is doomed for relegation, Johnstone has been one of the few bright spots for West Brom and even earned a call-up to the England national team back in March.
However, with the club headed for relegation, the 28-year-old is expected to be sold at the end of the season. West Brom value the goalkeeper at a fee of around £18m, with Tottenham and West Ham interested in signing him. Of late, even Manchester United have also entered the race for the signing of the Englishman. (h/t ESPN)
Tottenham have captain Hugo Lloris as the first-choice with Joe Hart as his deputy. However, the latter, at 34 is in the twilight of his career and has made some mistakes over the past couple of seasons that have hurt the team.
Furthermore, with his contract up for expiry in a year, a new long-term replacement for the Frenchman is something that the club needs to look at. Thus, Johnstone would be a ideal target for the club, given that he is in his peak years and has experience at this level.
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However, the report adds that West Ham are ahead of both Tottenham as well as Manchester United in the race for the 28-year-old goalkeeper. This is because the Hammers’ boss David Moyes, who worked with Johnstone at Old Trafford, is prepared to offer him regular first-team football. It now remains to be seen whether Tottenham make an approach for the custodian.