West Ham believe they will complete the signing of Austrian international Marko Arnautovic this week, and hope to be successful with a third bid of £22m.
Arnautovic has made no secret of his desire to leave the Potteries and, with Bojan returning from loan and the emergence of Egyptian starlet Ramadan Sobhi, the funds raised from Arnautovic’s sale will be used to strengthen Mark Hughes’ defence.
Stoke’s backline is in need of reinforcement, with two arrivals planned in central defence and a new contract in the offing for Ryan Shawcross to repel interest from Newcastle.
Shawcross’ new deal isn’t expected to be a problem, and Stoke remain confident that Bruno Martins Indi will return to the club after a successful loan spell.
The Potters failed to take up the permanent option in his loan that expired on July 1 and now face competition from Everton and Crystal Palace for his signature.
Stoke do lead the chase for Kurt Zouma, however, and remain in talks with Premier League champions Chelsea over a move for the talented young defender.
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