West Brom insist Jonny Evans is going nowhere
Albion are insisting star defender Jonny Evans is not for sale amid reports Leicester City are readying a second bid to test their resolve.
The club have already rejected a £10million bid from the Foxes, which was seen as a derisory offer in the corridors of Baggies headquarters.
But Leicester, who signed Harry Maguire from Hull City for £17m towards the end of last week, still want a second centre-half to replace their ageing back line.
The Foxes remain keen on Evans, but sources at Albion say they would only entertain bids north of £25m, and only once another defender was bought.
Evans's team-mates don't expect him to be going anywhere. Gareth McAuley, his centre-back partner for Albion and Northern Ireland, said: “Jonny’s been linked but I don’t think they will sell – they will be looking to build a team around him.”
The Baggies only have four senior defenders at the moment, and would need to buy two centre-backs if Evans followed former Manchester United team-mate Darren Fletcher out of the door.
Tony Pulis is still keen on former Chelsea captain John Terry, and sees the 36-year-old as a potential replacement for Fletcher in the dressing room.
Talks are ongoing, although Terry has a number of options, including offers from Birmingham City, Aston Villa, and Bournemouth, and it is not yet clear what the defender wants to do.
Pulis is also keeping an eye on Ryan Shawcross's ongoing contract negotiations at Stoke City.
Shawcross, who was made Potters captain by Pulis, has one year left on his current deal, although he's now been offered a new contract.
Stoke chief executive Tony Scholes told The Sentinel: "When you’ve got important players, you want to do something sooner rather than later.
“There’s always talks. People talk about ‘have talks started?’ We’ve been in contact.
“He’s been a great player for the club, he’s been here a number of years now, been a huge part of what the club has achieved over the years and we hope that will remain the case for many years to come.”
Meanwhile, former left-back Sebastien Pocognoli, who was released this summer, has rejoined Belgian club Standard Liege for a third stint.
