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Stoke City's record buy hints at summer exit

Stoke City's record buy hints at summer exit


Giannelli Imbula news

Imbula mulling over Stoke exit
Football Transfer Centre

Stoke City midfielder Giannelli Imbula has hinted that he could pursue a fresh challenge away from the Bet365 Stadium in order to improve his chances of earning a France call-up.



The Belgian-born ace joined the Potters from Porto for a club-record £18.3m fee in February 2016, and played a key role in the back end of the previous campaign.

However, he has not enjoyed a similar run in the current season, and has been restricted to just nine league starts with Charlie Adam and Glenn Whelan being preferred for the central midfield duties.

In a report on The Sun, Imbula expressed his frustration at being left out of the starting lineup, and feels that he could move elsewhere in search of regular first-team football.

“I work hard in training, and in my mind I am ready to give my all for Stoke. But then they don’t give me the chance to play. We will see what happens at the end of the season," he told the source.

“My main dream is to get back onto the pitch. It is something I am capable of doing. Without this I can’t even start dreaming about being called up to play for France."

The 24-year-old has earned a total of 14 appearances this season for Stoke City, who are placed 11th in the table.