Stoke City are favourites to sign Manchester City midfielder Fabian Delph. The Potters are unwilling to sign him permanently and are reportedly interested in a loan deal. He seems to be surplus to requirement and doesn’t have any future with Pep Guardiola’s side as of now.
Mark Hughes has already made a significant addition to the midfield by bringing in Darren Fletcher from West Bromwich Albion and wants Delph to partner him. The former Aston Villa captain had important roles at all his previous clubs but failed to acclimatise at the Etihad Stadium.
Despite his combative box to box ability, he has never looked that much comfortable alongside the likes of Yaya Toure and Fernandinho plying their trade in the midfield. Stoke City are now very keen to give the player a chance to revive his career at the BET365 Stadium.
The Potters have endured a frustrating season due to lack of creativity in the midfield. Delph’s addition would ensure the departure of Giannelli Imbula who has had a very frustrating season. Also, Charlie Adam’s future looks to be very uncertain and Glenn Whelan could soon follow suit as Hughes has been trying to modify his team and give it a new look.
It is understood that a sum of £12m would be enough to convince City to let the player switch his allegiance. Despite his limited game time, the player remains a very viable option for the Potters.
Delph’s move to Manchester City was very controversial. The midfielder committed his long-term future to the Villans but couldn’t resist himself from accepting a lucrative contract. But his decision proved to be a disastrous one as the English midfielder has failed to justify his price tag since his £8m move from Aston Villa.
Delph is currently on a £90,000 per week contract and may have to take a significant pay cut if he does move to Stoke. The central midfielder is defensively quite strong and his attacking prospect is also very enticing. Stoke are expected to offload a number of players especially midfielders so there would be enough room for him to make amends in the centre of the park.
Having been at Manchester City for two seasons he desperately needs to find an alternate option for him and moving to the BET365 Stadium seems to be a positive move.
The 27-year-old has made just two starts in the last season and had some brilliant moments in those matches which must have been noticed by Mark Hughes.
