Hughes refuses to comment on Imbula rumours

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Giannelli Imbula: Reportedly a target for Stoke

Mark Hughes has refused to comment on reports Stoke City could make a club-record bid for Porto midfielder Giannelli Imbula.

Imbula joined Porto last summer from French outfit Marseille for £15million and has so far made 19 appearances.

Imbula would reportedly cost Stoke around £19million, a figure that would smash the Potters’ current transfer record of £12million which they paid Inter Milan for Xherdan Shaqiri last August.

Hughes admitted the club were in the market for “good players” but would not comment on specific targets.

He told Sky Sports: “All good players, all at good clubs, and the clubs they are at will probably feel they want to keep them there.

“It is inappropriate for me to talk about individual players, other than to say we’re in the market for good players. We are actively looking.

“We think there are opportunities if everything falls into place, but there are a lot of factors.”

Hughes added: “We never get too ahead of ourselves because we know the potential pitfalls of the transfer process.

“We just have to be patient. If it happens, we’ll be delighted. If we have to bide our time until the summer, so be it.”