Cedric has been linked with the likes of Arsenal and Barcelona so far this summer but flew to England to hold talks with Stoke, according to the Telegraph, as Mark Hughes looks to improve his options at right-back.

A deal for the 23-year-old Portugal international is not expected to be completed any time soon, however, while Stoke are also having to bide their time in their pursuit of Konoplyanka, who is available on a free transfer from Dnipro.

The Ukraine winger almost joined Liverpool in January and has also been linked with Tottenham, but Stoke are said to be furthest down the line in negotiations to bring the 25-year-old to England.

However, Konoplyanka has two games for Ukraine this month against Georgia and Luxembourg, while complicated ownership issues are reported to be a further obstacle for the Potters to clear.

Mark Hughes has already signed Philipp Wollscheid on a permanent deal following his spell on loan from Bayer Leverkusen, while Danish goalkeeper Jakob Haugaard has joined from FC Midtjylland to take the place of countryman Thomas Sorensen in the squad.

Other priorities for the club this summer are resolving the futures of Asmir Begovic and Steven N’Zonzi, both of whom are set to enter the final 12 months of their contracts at the Britannia Stadium.