West Bromwich Albion are standing firm on their position regarding Matheus Pereira’s potential exit from The Hawthorns.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Athletic, who claim that, despite Pereira’s recent statement published on Twitter – in which the winger publicly stated his desire to leave the club – as well as a feeling amongst interested parties that a deal could be done for around £25m this summer, Albion will not be budging from their £30m valuation of the Brazilian.

The report goes on to state that Valerien Ismael’s side are more than happy to sanction the sale of the 25-year-old before the closure of the transfer window, and will not stand in the way of his departure whatsoever – as long as their asking price is met.

Ismael will be buzzing

While losing the club’s best player from the previous two seasons may well come as a blow for many of The Hawthorns faithful, there are actually a number of reasons why this sale would leave Ismael himself buzzing.

Indeed, with the 45-year-old often deploying a 3-4-3 in his time at Barnsley – with this also being a formation in which Albion have been set up in their pre-season fixtures – there does not appear to be an obvious role for the winger in this setup, nor does the Brazilian particularly suit the Frenchman’s style of play.

As such, should the club indeed go on to sell the player – who, in the eyes of Ismael, is essentially useless – for a figure anywhere near £30m, the manager should be given a quite considerable chunk of money in order to make a number of his own additions who suit his brand of football much more adequately prior to the transfer deadline at the end of August.

Furthermore, West Brom’s stubborn stance on Pereira’s asking price also bodes well for Ismael further down the line, as, with the 45-year-old known for placing his trust in and developing younger prospects, the likelihood of a bigger club being interested in one of Albion’s homegrown players in the not too distant future is a very likely scenario.

And, with the Baggies hierarchy standing firm on the valuation of their players before sanctioning a sale, Ismael will be confident that his club will not simply cash in on a highly-rated youngster with the aim of making a quick buck – but rather, will only do so if they believe the price is fair, which would, in turn, allow the Frenchman to reinvest the funds raised on improving his squad.

So, while it may be disappointing for fans to wave goodbye to the man Colin Millar dubbed a “special” player, it could well be a very different story for the manager who has already spoken out against Pereira’s dedication to the West Brom cause.

In other news: Key club figure drops three-word transfer hint which will leave West Brom fans fuming