Stoke City step up Stephen Ireland interest

Freshly installed Mark Hughes is proactively looking for new players as he seeks to reshape his Stoke City squad in time for the new season. One player that has been linked with a move to the Brittania Stadium is that of Stephen Ireland, who is deemed surplus to requirements at Aston Villa.

The talented midfielder has struggled not just to reproduce the form that made him a fan favourite at Manchester City; one of his previous clubs, but also has struggled to force his way into Villa manager Paul Lambert's first team plans. 


The Irish international has instructed his agent to therefore help him secure a move to another Premier League team.


Stoke City are currently short in the midfield department and Mark Hughes has always been an advocate for experienced signings, as seen during his time at Fulham and Man City, where he brought in several experienced players as he shuffled his squads.


Ireland will be allowed to leave Aston Villa for a relatively small fee, as Villa are trying their very best to push the international off of their wage bill.