Bojan: I’m loved at Stoke and won’t join Liverpool or Chelsea

Bojan Krkic: Insists he's settled at Stoke

Bojan Krkic: Insists he's settled at Stoke

Bojan has played down reports linking him with a January move to Liverpool or Chelsea, saying he feels loved at Stoke City and it’s the best place to be at this stage of his career.

The playmaker is contracted to Stoke until the summer of 2018 after arriving in a shock move from Barcelona in the summer of 2014.

But after battling back from injury this season, the Spaniard’s form has seen him linked with Liverpool and Chelsea, while Manchester United are also reported to be monitoring his progress.

The 25-year-old had struggled to find the right home in European football to reach his potential – and now he is settled he is in no rush to move on.

“Speculation won’t affect me. It’s one thing I can’t do anything about,” he said.

“The only thing I can do is give 100 per cent now in the moment and try to improve every day in training and to help my teammates and Stoke City win games. That’s all I focus on.

“If I am ever (linked with big clubs) hopefully it is a sign that I am doing good work.

“I am happy, I feel good and for me that’s the most important thing at the moment: to have good feelings in training, on the pitch when I play and to have a gaffer who puts his trust in me.

“I have to carry on and give more.”

Bojan laughed that he knows pretty quickly if a story has been published linking him with any move away … because he is bombarded by notifications from Stoke fans on social media asking him to stay.

He said: “I know, I know … but they know this is football and they know you can do nothing about stories appearing in newspapers.

“The only thing I can do now I’m a Stoke player is give 100 per cent. I want to live in the moment and I am very happy.

“The fans love me? Well, I love them too, of course.”

Mark Hughes’ faith in Bojan has seen the forward being used as the figurehead of Stoke’s attack in the last two games rather than behind a central striker.

He said: “It’s one of my positions and I’ve played a lot of games in that role – and the gaffer knows me. I want to play and if he asks me to play as a striker, a second striker or anywhere I will give 100 per cent to help my teammates.

“I like the role I play at Stoke and I think that is one of the reasons I succeed here. The gaffer told me he wanted to play in this position after I had played in different places in previous year and I think now I can show my quality.

“I am really enjoying every training session and every game and I want to keep improving.”