West Bromwich Albion manager Tony Pulis has revealed his delight that the club managed to keep hold of defender Jonny Evans during the transfer window and is now hoping to sign him to fresh terms.
The 29-year-old was the subject of interest from Manchester City, Leicester City and Arsenal in the final weeks of the summer window, with the Baggies thought to have turned down offers as high as £26m for their skipper.
Evans ultimately remained at The Hawthorns, however, and Pulis's side are now keen to make him commit to a new four-year contract with a reported wage of £100,000 a week - the highest in the club's history.
"It was very important [to keep him]," Pulis told reporters this morning. "The bottom line with Jonny Evans – Arsenal were interested and Manchester City were interested – is they never met the value the football club wanted. If they had met a value it might have been a different situation.
"I'm pleased, obviously, that Jonny stayed. He has got to knuckle down now, get back in the team, and start showing everybody what a good player he is again.
"I hope we can offer him a new contract and tie him down, we will speak next week about what Jonny is thinking and what he wants to do."
Evans moved to West Brom in 2015 following a nine-year spell with Manchester United, which saw him win three Premier League titles and two League Cups.
