Stoke City eyeing £4.8m European transfer raid after Divin Mubama blow | OneFootball

Stoke City have reportedly made a €5.5 million bid for Go Ahead Eagles striker Milan Smit this January

Stoke City have reportedly made an effort to reinforce their striking options after an injury crisis has left the Potters without a recognised available striker.

According to Dutch reporter Jeroen Kapteijns via X, Stoke City have reportedly made a €5.5 (£4.79 million) million bid for Go Ahead Eagles' Dutch forward Milan Smit.

Smit, 22, has made 19 appearances in the Dutch Eredivisie this season, scoring six and assisting twice, and now looks set for a move to the Potteries this winter.

His breakthrough season came with fellow Dutch side Cambuur in the second tier during the 2023/24 season, scoring 19 goals and grabbing five assists in 36 appearances, earning a move to Go Ahead Eagles in the following summer.

Smit was part of the side that won a historic KNVB Cup for Go Ahead Eagles in 2025 and defeated Aston Villa in the UEFA Europa Conference League earlier this season, playing the full 90 minutes in both matches.

After Divin Mubama was taken off on a stretcher and oxygen mask in Stoke’s goalless draw at home to Queens Park Rangers, the Potters are left without an available striker, but have looked to swiftly address that issue with the potential addition of Smit.

Stoke City make move for Go Ahead Eagles forward Milan Smit to bolster attacking options

Indeed, it has been an excellent season for Stoke thus far, who sit within touching distance of the play-off places ahead of Wednesday night’s clash at home to Middlesbrough.

However, the Potters will be without any fit and available striker, with an injury crisis seeing each of Mubama, Sam Gallagher, and Robert Bozenik sidelined due to injury.

Manchester City loanee Mubama was on the receiving end of a strong challenge from QPR’s Jimmy Dunne, and it has since been confirmed that the youngster has sustained ligament damage and will face a spell out of action.

Gallagher and Bozenik did not make the match-day squad against QPR, with the pair also spending a period of time in the treatment room, much to the dismay of boss Mark Robins, who was forced to deputise winger Lamine Cisse up front for the remainder of their goalless draw.

Stoke do not even have the option of reintroducing either Nathan Lowe or Emre Tezgel to the side in the wake of this injury crisis, with the young pair having sustained injuries whilst out on loan with both Stockport County and Crewe Alexandra, respectively.

The addition of Smit, whilst not only an exciting prospect, being 22 and a relatively unknown quantity in English football, fixes a huge problem for the Potters moving forward this campaign, and if he can stay fit, would provide a huge boost to their play-off hopes.

Since relegation from the Premier League in 2018, Stoke have lingered in and around the bottom half of the Championship table for much of that time, never really sustaining a serious push for a top-six finish.

In fact, they have not even finished in the top half of the table since their return to the second tier nearly eight years ago, something which they hope to remedy this campaign with a strong end to the season.

Robins was a penalty shootout away from taking Coventry City to the Premier League just a few years ago before losing out to Luton Town, having taken the Sky Blues from the depths of League Two to an inch away from the top flight.

With Stoke, he will be hoping to go one better, with this year presenting a golden chance for any side to earn a place in the top six, given how packed the league is this year.

Smit looks set to join compatriot Million Manhoef to bolster the Potters’ attacking options this winter, in a move Robins must be delighted to be getting over the line well before the window deadline.

Though with Smit’s arrival, it will still only mean that he will be the club's only available striker, immediately putting the pressure on him to walk into the side and hit the ground running.

Whether the Potters will delve back into the market after Smit’s addition remains to be seen, but for now, Stoke supporters have the right to get excited about the prospect of a new unknown quantity joining their side, and they will be hoping he can be the man to fire in the goals to push them into the top six come May 2026.