Stoke City still on hunt for new signings

Stoke City chairman Peter Coates has insisted that the club are working on their transfer targets for the summer despite the lack of spending in the transfer window.

The Potters have recruited Darren Fletcher and Ahmed Elmohamady on a free this summer while Kurt Zouma has arrived from Chelsea on a season-long loan.

Speaking to TalkSPORT, Coates admits that the club are not in a position to compete with the Premier League's elite in terms of transfer fees, but they will hope to clinch a top-half finish to the campaign next term.

"We are still looking to improve the squad before the transfer window closes, we are in the market and it's trying to find the right players that suit your club on terms you can afford," he told talkSPORT.

"We want to be competitive, we have sort of been in that mid-table area and we are always trying to get better, everyone wants to do well, every club wants to get better and we are no different."

The Potters have sold key first-team players in Marko Arnautovic, Glenn Whelan, Jonathan Walters and Phil Bardsley this summer while Shay Given was released from his contract.

Stoke City were interested in sealing a permanent contract for Bruno Martins Indi who impressed on a season-long loan from Porto, but they have not yet managed to negotiate a transfer sum.