Stoke City looking to gazump Oxford United for €3m deal | OneFootball

Stoke City have made a €3m for Austria Vienna's Abubakr Barry, who has been subject of a bid from Oxford United.

Stoke City are set for a huge summer as they look to improve after what was a disappointing season under Mark Robins.

In truth, the Potters have underachieved massively since their relegation from the Premier League in 2018, with the club incredibly yet to record a top-half finish since dropping to the second tier.

So, the fans are understandably frustrated, and there is pressure on Stoke going into the summer, with the club needing a productive transfer window to give Robins the tools to challenge for the play-offs next season, if he is kept on, amid talk surrounding his future.

Stoke City make move to sign Austria Vienna’s Abubakr Barry

Either way, it appears work is already underway in terms of strengthening the squad, as Austrian media outlet Krone has revealed that Stoke are making a move to sign Abubakr Barry from Austria Vienna.

The versatile midfielder had an impressive individual season, scoring four goals and registering four assists, whilst he also picked up 11 yellow cards, which gives an indication of the way Barry plays.

Nevertheless, he played an important role as the Violets finished fourth to ensure they will be in the Conference League qualifiers next season.

However, the update claims that Austria Vienna are expecting to sell Barry in the summer window.

They explain how Oxford have had an offer of over €2m rejected for the 25-year-old, but Stoke are now pushing to sign Barry, with the Staffordshire outfit having lodged a bid in the region of €3m, although it’s unclear whether that will be accepted.

Interestingly, they state the financial benefits of reaching the Conference League mean Austria Vienna may look to delay any sale until later in the window, as it’s worth in excess of €3.2m to reach the league stage.

Stoke City must target quality this summer transfer window

As outlined above, there’s a lot of pressure on Stoke going into this window, as recruitment has been one of many issues at the Bet365 Stadium over the years.

They aren’t in a position to compete financially with the bigger hitters in the division, so the Potters need to identify potential bargains, and Barry could fall into that category.

He is clearly a talented player, and he would bring physicality and drive to the Stoke side, with The Gambia international someone you would expect to be able to cope with the demands of the Championship.

As well as that, he also fits the profile in the sense that he is someone who could be sold for a profit further down the line if he does fulfil his potential.

Of course, the immediate concern with any Stoke transfer is ensuring they can help on the pitch, but we know how important it is to operate sensibly, and that means bringing in players who could be sold on for a profit.

If Stoke have made an offer of around €3m for Barry, it suggests they are big fans of the player, and it will be interesting to see whether they manage to get this over the line, and what other deals are in the pipeline, as you would expect plenty of activity involving Stoke over the coming months.