Stoke City should be demanding a fee in the region of £20 million for Nathan Collins amid interest from Arsenal, Burnley and Crystal Palace, Potters legend Lou Macari has told the Stoke Sentinel.
When it comes to the future of their much-coveted centre-back, Stoke hold all the cards.
Collins is under contract until 2024 and, while the Potters must be mindful of Financial Fair Play restrictions, there’s no immediate desire to cash in on one of the Championship’s most exciting young talents.
Arsenal and Crystal Palace are interested in the Republic of Ireland U21 international, according to The Sun (24 January, page 59).
Burnley, meanwhile, made an opening bid of £4.5 million for Collins this week – one Stoke wasted no time in batting away.
The Burnley Express believes it would take an offer of £10 million-plus before Michael O’Neill’s side were even remotely tempted to cash in.
But, according to Macari, Collins’ price tag should be even higher than that.
“If you want an indication about how well your players are doing, it’s when other clubs are linked with them,” says Macari, who led Stoke to the Second Division title in 1993.
“There’s talk about a £10m or £12m move, but I just don’t see how those sort of figures would benefit Stoke City.
“If Collins continues to develop and has another good season his asking price would be heading towards £20m, if not more.
“If Stoke did opt to sell him, a replacement would need to be found – and there’s no guarantees when it comes to that.”
Adam Webster became the most expensive central defender in Football League history when he left Bristol City for Brighton in a £20 million deal in 2019.
Could Collins break that record?
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