Former Tottenham Hotspur right-back Alan Hutton has told the North London club that they might have to pay more than they have bargained for West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper Sam Johnstone following his England call-up.
With Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford sidelined, Three Lions manager Gareth Southgate decided to call-up the West Brom star for this month’s World Cup qualifiers. He could earn an England cap if he impresses the coaches in training.
Spurs are reportedly keen on signing Johnstone as Hugo Lloris’ potential replacement this summer, and Hutton reckons they could have a repeat of the Jack Grealish transfer saga on their hands should the goalie become an England international.
Tottenham refused to meet Aston Villa’s news demands for the midfielder back in the summer of 2018, with a proposed £25 million deal falling through as a result.
Grealish has since hit the ground running in the top-flight after helping his side seal promotion from the Championship, establishing himself as an England international.
He is now worth £80m, and Hutton believes that could soon be the case with Johnstone.
“You see all these players and clubs that they’ve got reaching that level of England international,” the former Spurs full-back told Football Insider.
“As soon as you get there and you’re young enough, your value just rockets. It’s literally unbelievable.
“West Brom, if they do decide to cash in on him, he’s had a fantastic season. It’ll be a big price tag. That’s the thing for clubs like Tottenham – are they going to be willing to pay it?
“They didn’t want to pay £20million for Jack Grealish a couple of seasons ago – look what happened there.”
The 27-year-old will be eager to force his way into England’s European Championship squad this summer.
Lloris has been linked with a summer exit from Spurs, with Manchester United and OGC Nice linked with the 34-year-old.
Spurs have the likes of Dean Henderson, Nick Pope and Mike Maignan on their radar, but none of them will come cheap.
Johnstone has proven his quality in the Premier League and will be keen to remain in the top-flight if the Baggies go down.
His involvement with the England squad is likely to increase his value, potentially putting him out of Spurs’ reach.
In other news, English striker has questioned Southgate’s decision to call up Spurs star.
