Stoke City pushing to seal Crystal Palace transfer ahead of Swansea City | OneFootball

The two Championship sides are hoping to loan in Jesurun Rak-Sakyi

Stoke City are reportedly still attempting to outmuscle their Championship rivals, Swansea City, in a transfer saga that could see Crystal Palace winger, Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, move to the Bet365 Stadium on a loan basis.

That is according to transfer guru, Alan Nixon, who has hinted at such goings-on via his X account on Monday afternoon, with the Potters still looking to make their first moves in the winter transfer window.

Mark Robins' side have made a timely return to form at the turn of 2026, with two wins in the second tier against Hull City and Norwich City being followed up by progression in the FA Cup third round as Lamine Cisse's thunderous strike saw the North Staffordshire side edge past Championship leaders, Coventry City, on Saturday afternoon.

It has been an intriguing past few weeks for the experienced boss, though, as his side remain on the fringes of the play-off places after successive away wins at the MKM Stadium and Carrow Road, despite it being well-documented that he has lost several players due to injuries and suspensions.

One of the division's best shot-stoppers in Viktor Johansson and summer signing, Robert Bozenik, are two of Robins' most high-profile absentees on the injury front, whilst City also finally bid farewell to Andre Vidigal last week, with the Portuguese winger seeing his contract terminated by mutual consent after a dismal two-and-a-half year stint in the Potteries after joining from Maritimo under Alex Neil back in 2023.

On the incomings front, Gavin Bazunu is reportedly in advanced talks over a loan switch with a potential option-to-buy from Southampton, which would somewhat compensate for Johansson's layoff.

However, it is apparent that Stoke are in the market for further creative reinforcements as their star performer this term, Sorba Thomas, has already become the subject of exit talk, with Premier League side, AFC Bournemouth, reportedly interested in the Welsh international following Antoine Semenyo's big-money switch to Manchester City.

As such, the Reds could be welcoming a Premier League loanee of their own between now and February 2nd, although it has been well-documented that they face stern competition from the Swans, who are undergoing their first transfer window under the management of Vitor Matos.

At 23 years of age, Rak-Sakyi is no stranger to the EFL at this stage of his career, initially making a name for himself on loan at Charlton Athletic in the 2022/23 campaign.

In 49 appearances for the Addicks, who were in League One at the time, the London-born winger would score 15 times and produce a further nine assists, with many suggesting that a Championship stint, or even a long-term breakthrough with the Eagles was the right step for his parent club to take in terms of his development.

Despite a handful of changes being made to Palace's attack, which has seen both Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze depart for large sums to Bayern Munich and Arsenal respectively, Rak-Sakyi has been limited with the amount of first-team minutes he has received at Selhurst Park despite his previous, and current reputation.

After making eight appearances for Palace in 2023/24 and just one more last term, the wide player linked up with Sheffield United last season, with a tally of seven goals and two assists across 34 appearances in the regular Championship campaign, enough to help Chris Wilder's side reach the play-off final, where they would suffer heartbreak against Sunderland.

Unsurprisingly, Rak-Sakyi was, again, heavily linked with another second tier loan stint last summer before joining Turkish Süper Lig side, Caykur Rizespor.

However, after scoring four times in just 13 outings, Palace have recalled their academy graduate, and Nixon claimed on Sunday that the Swans were leading the race for his services after Oliver Glasner opted not to select him for last year's FA Cup holders' embarrassment at the hands of sixth-tier Macclesfield.

But, after the aforementioned Matos refused to comment on such rumours after his side's own cup exit to West Bromwich Albion, it has now emerged that Stoke haven't given up on their hopes of a loan swoop, adding a fresh twist to this transfer saga.

Although no reports have emerged on this front, some Stoke supporters are already beginning to speculate on what the potential arrival of Rak-Sakyi means with regards to the long-term future of Dutch winger, Million Manhoef.

Like Rak-Sakyi, the 24-year-old predominantly features on the right wing, and has scored five times and posted a further two assists whilst featuring in all 26 of Stoke's league games so far this season.

Such form, of course, comes off the back of previous transfer interest from Scottish Premiership champions, Celtic, who are currently looking to reshape their attacking options under the interim management of Martin O'Neill following Wilfried Nancy's dismissal.

As previously mentioned, there has been very little indication of such talk resurfacing, although it is clear that Rak-Sakyi would be a strong replacement, whilst supporters would be delighted if the Palace man added further quality on top of Manhoef's own.