West Ham United and Crystal Palace had hoped to sign Stoke City defender Glen Johnson.
Stoke City’s Glen Johnson in action with Burnley’s Scott Arfield
A report in the Telegraph has suggested that Glen Johnson is ready to ignore interest coming from West Ham and Crystal Palace by signing a new one-year deal with Stoke City.
Johnson is currently set to be out of contract this summer, and had been attracting attention from the Hammers as well as Palace as it appeared that he may be on his way out of the Bet365 Stadium at the end of the current campaign, the Telegraph reports.
However, the Telegraph adds that the former England international is now on the verge of signing an extension with the Potters.
The news may perhaps prove to be a greater blow to West Ham given the problems that they have had at right-back throughout the campaign.
Sam Byram’s display against Swansea earlier this month had hinted that he was finally starting to turn a corner and be the man that Slaven Bilic would perhaps be able to rely on in future.
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic
However, the defender endured a miserable afternoon in their 2-2 draw with bottom side Sunderland on Saturday, and that display may have perhaps given Bilic more determination to bring Johnson back to the club 14 years after his departure.
Signing Johnson on a free transfer would have seemed an astute piece of business given his experience, but it appears that he and Palace manager Sam Allardyce will now have to consider other targets.
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