Stoke City are hoping to avoid a repeat of last season’s relegation battle in the Championship but could be enticed into a sale of one key player this summer.
The Potters have already completed some astute business over the past few weeks. The club activated Viktor Johansson’s release clause at Rotherham United, which was reported to be in the region of £1 million, as the Swede became Steven Schumacher’s first signing of the transfer window.
The arrival of the 25-year-old was complemented by the acquisition of centre-back Ben Gibson. Norwich City allowed the experienced central defender’s contract to run down in an attempt to reduce the average age of the first-team squad but the former Middlesbrough man wasn’t without a club for long before Stoke came pouncing.
Furthermore, Stoke City confirmed just a few days ago that a deal had been agreed with Belgian outfit Sint-Truiden for fullback Eric Bocat for an undisclosed fee, although publications in France have claimed that the club will pay £1.27 million up front and a further £423,000 in add-ons for the defender. There were also rumours that the Potters were interested in signing Norwich’s Sam McCallum as his contract ends tomorrow, but this now seems unlikely given the acquisition of Bocat.
While Schumacher and the board have undoubtedly strengthened the goalkeeping and defensive department, there have been rumblings that the midfield could be weakened. According to journalist Darren Witcoop, midfielder Josh Laurent is garnering interest from a number of teams in the Championship and overseas. Additionally, Witcoop has revealed that Turkish side Gaziantep have “launched a formal offer” for the former Queens Park Rangers man who boasts a market value of £1.9 million, as per Transfermarkt.
Writer’s View
Laurent made 40 appearances for Stoke City last season, including 37 in the Championship, while scoring three goals and recording the same number of assists. He was a mainstay in the team throughout what was a difficult campaign and would certainly need replacing should the club accept an offer for him.
Nevertheless, Laurent has entered into the final 12 months of his contract at the Bet365 Stadium. This summer may present itself as the last opportunity that the board has to gain some money for the Englishman before his deal expires next summer and he heads onto the wrong side of 30.