Stoke City set to stake their claim with audacious bid for Premier League star
However unlikely it may sound, Stoke City are looking to maintain their attack on the rest of the world by launching a bid for Blackburn Rovers’ sensational starlet, Junior Hoilett.
The reason for the surprise being that numerous elite European sides have shown interest in acquiring the winger and the Potters could find themselves up against the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool in this particular fight.
Both sides are known to have shown interest in the Canadian and for good reason, Hoilett being one of the brighter stars in an otherwise murky season for Rovers so far.
The midfielder will undoubtedly be pleased with the attention his performances with the Lancashire club have earned and could be tempted by a move to the bigger stages.
Stoke flexed their financial guns over the summer, racking up a transfer bill of over £20m with the purchases of Peter Crouch, Wilson Palacios and Cameron Jerome.
With the direction they are going in, it’s understandable that the club – who are currently heading into the next phase of their first Europa League tournament – would want to improve once more and make such a significant signing.
However, one could argue that this one may be just out of reach for the Potters.
The January window is notorious for being a time of the year when it’s most difficult to convince teams to part with their players and Blackburn will be no exception.
The side are struggling to string good performances together and with Steve Kean being boycotted by a large portion of fans, now will be seen as a time when they will want to hold on to their best players.
As aforementioned, Stoke will also be competing for the 21 year-olds signature with several massive clubs, and the £20m price-tag may prove to be too steep for Tony Pulis’ side.
