Premier League side West Ham United submitted a £10m bid in an attempt to lure Sam Johnstone away from West Bromwich Albion last summer, according to the Daily Mail.

The 29-year-old was heavily linked with a move away from The Hawthorns during that window following the Baggies' relegation from the Premier League, with Arsenal and Manchester United also thought to have been monitoring his situation.

Despite this interest though, it was only the Hammers who were reported to have submitted a formal bid for the England international's services, with this offer being rejected by officials in the West Midlands back in mid-July.

At the time, Sky Sports reported the size of their bid as being £6m, an offer that fell way short of Albion's £20m valuation of their star earlier that summer.

However, the Daily Mail are now claiming that an offer as high as £10m was launched by West Ham, though this was an offer that didn't seem to impress the second-tier side with Johnstone remaining at The Hawthorns throughout the 2021/22 campaign.

But the 29-year-old is now confirmed to be leaving on the expiration of his contract at Albion this summer, potentially leaving his side regretting their reluctance to let him go last year.

The Verdict:

If a bid of that magnitude was submitted, Albion are fools not to have accepted that bid considering they needed to financially adapt to the second tier.

He may have been a key figure in winning them promotion back to the top tier at the first time of asking, something that would have made Johnstone worth keeping, but there were no guarantees they were going to be in the promotion mix and it seems as though they have taken a big gamble that hasn't paid off.

Even last summer, it was clear there needed to be quite a shake-up at The Hawthorns and with the money generated from Matheus Pereira's sale and the England international's potential departure, they could have had a decent rebuild.

The 29-year-old's wages aren't likely to be modest either, so this is a costly mistake from Albion and they will be hoping it doesn't affect their ability to recruit players in the coming years as they look to remain within financial limits.

One positive is the fact he won't be on their wage bill after the summer, leaving space for others to come in, but you can't help but feel they missed a great opportunity to get some money for him last summer.