Stoke City continue to pursue Aston Villa’s James Chester.
According to the Daily Mail, Stoke City have increased their bid to £10million for Aston Villa defender James Chester – and his future may be tied to Steve Bruce’s.
Villa’s financial woes have been well-documented since losing 1-0 to Fulham in the Championship play-off final back in May, and many have expected players to leave in order to raise funds.
Yet new investment from Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens has eased concerns, and Villa may now be back in a position to demand top money for their star players again.
The Daily Mail now report that Stoke have returned with a new bid for Villa defender James Chester, offering £10million to try and finalise his signature ahead of the new Championship season.
The relegated Potters have been splashing the cash on the likes of Oghenekaro Etebo, James McClean and Benik Afobe, and whilst a deal for Tom Ince also looks close, they are still pushing for Chester’s signature.
Stoke failed with a bid for Chester earlier in the window, but have now taken their offer to eight figures, and will hope that Villa give the former Manchester United talent the green light to head to the Potteries.
The report does note that Chester may move on if there is a change in manager having worked with Steve Bruce at former club Hull City too, and that may be a concern for Villa given claims that Thierry Henry could be in line to replace Bruce.
Chester, 29, made 49 appearances last season, scoring four goals, and would be expected to feature as Villa’s top defender given that John Terry has moved on this summer.
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