Former West Brom striker Kevin Phillips has claimed the club could make £40million from the sales of attacker Matheus Pereira and goalkeeper Sam Johnstone this summer.
Both Pereira and Johnstone have been linked with moves away from the club this summer, with recently appointed Baggies boss Valerien Ismael admitting that he expects the duo to leave the club this summer.
Now it seems as though Phillips - who made 81 appearances and scored 46 goals for the Baggies between 2006 and 2008 - believes that West Brom ought to be demanding big money for the duo if they are to allow them to leave this summer.
Speaking to West Brom News about that potential interest in the duo this summer, the ex-England international said: “Johnstone’s stock has risen incredibly and Pereira came good towards the end of last season as he chipped in with goals.
“I would say Johnstone’s going to be worth £20million-plus and I think Pereira’s going to be close to £20million. They could get £40million for the pair. Whoever takes them will be getting good players.”
Johnstone's form for West Brom last season saw him earn a place in England's squad for Euro 2020, although the goalkeeper is now entering the final year of his contract at The Hawthorns.
Pereira meanwhile, re-joined West Brom on a permanent basis last summer following his form on loan for the club in their promotion winning 2019/20 campaign.
The Brazilian, who has three years remaining on his current West Brom deal, scored 11 goals and provided six assists in 33 Premier League appearances last season.
The Verdict
This is an interesting assessment from Phillips to consider here.
In terms of the ability they possess, I don't think there's any doubt that both these players are worth a decent amount of money, given they proven they can make an impact in the Premier League.
However, given West Brom are not going to want to lose a player of Johnstone's quality for nothing, his contract situation means they may not be able to demand quite that much for him.
Even so, if they were to sell both Johnstone and Pereira, you would expect West Brom to still receive a very useful amount that they could use to reinvest in their side in what remains of the summer window.