STOKE CITY have emerged as favourites to edge out West Brom in the tug-of-war over Chelsea’s on-loan defender Kurt Zouma.
SunSport understands Albion’s money-men were left reeling when Chelsea informed them it would cost a hefty £7million to HIRE the 22-year-old French international for one season!
However the Potters have not been put off by the eye-watering figures and are keen to press ahead with talks.
Zouma – who was wanted by as many as 20 clubs – earned a Premier League winners’ medal despite making just 13 appearances in all competitions.
He is continuing his comeback from an anterior cruciate ligament injury suffered in February 2016.
But the combination of Chelsea’s loan-fee, plus the player’s near £100,000-a-week wages, appears too rich for the Baggies – leaving Stoke boss Mark Hughes in pole position to secure Zouma.
The Potters already have a £20m offer from West Ham for want-away winger Marko Arnautovic on the table, which they threw out yesterday.
And they were not scared off by the Blues’ demands for Zouma, who earns close to £100,000-a-week.
Hughes wants the Frenchman to partner skipper Ryan Shawcross in a new-look defence next season – especially now Crystal Palace looked to have cooled their interest too.
Chelsea spent £12.5m to sign the defender Zouma from St Etienne in 2014, but are willing to let him gain experience elsewhere for a season following the signing of Antonio Rudiger from Roma this week.
However they are not willing to subsidise his wages and expect to be compensated for letting the young international strengthen either club.
Hughes also wants to sign FC Porto’s Dutch defender Bruno Martins Indi on a permanent deal after the 25-year-old impressed on loan last season.
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However the Stoke boss suffered a setback yesterday when the defender failed to undergo a medical yesterday, ahead of a proposed £13.4million return to the Potteries.
Instead Porto appeared to shift the goalposts as the defender trained with them before taking part in a training match against Rio Ave.
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