Experienced England defender in advanced talks to sign deal following West Ham pursuit – report
By Danny Wright
Glen Johnson is on the verge of signing a new Stoke contract following interest from West Ham, according to a report.
The Telegraph claim that the experienced defender is in advanced talks over extending his deal at the Staffordshire club by a further year.
West Ham were believed to be looking to snap up the Premier League right-back on a free transfer when his deal at the Bet365 Stadium expires at the end of the campaign.
The Telegraph report that the 54-times England international is now on the brink of agreeing fresh terms with manager Mark Hughes.
Slaven Bilic is looking to provide cover to the area which has caused him a series of problems over the last two seasons.
Traditional right-backs Sam Byram and Alvaro Arbeloa have had an injury-hit season at the London Stadium while Cheikhou Kouyate and Michail Antonio have been forced to fill the full-back void.
Stoke are also looking to open talks with Phil Bardsley and Ryan Shawcross, who has attracted attention from Newcastle, West Brom and Leicester.
Johnson, 32, has had his campaign scuppered by various injury problems.
The ex-Liverpool and Chelsea full-back has made 21 appearances across all competitions despite his injury woes.
The Sun had previously reported that his low amount of game-time meant an extension clause in his current deal was not activated, sparking West Ham’s interest.
Football Insider Verdict
This isn’t a major blow for West Ham because there are plenty of better options out there. The Hammers need to sort out who will be their manager next season before trying to sign any players. Bilic is under a lot of pressure and is potentially facing the axe is results don’t improve. There’s no use signing players that a new manager might not want to use. However, West Ham definitely need a right-back. When he’s been fit, Byram hasn’t reached the potential that was expected of him in his days at Leeds and an improvement on the 23-year-old is needed.
In other West Ham news, this 27-year-old will be sold in the summer following a blazing row with Bilic.
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