Giannelli Imbula has been a flop after his record-breaking move to Stoke.
Stoke City’s Giannelli Imbula in action with Tottenham’s Son Heung-min
Stoke City’s record signing Giannelli Imbula is interesting two of Italian football’s biggest clubs, it has been reported.
Juventus and AS Roma have both shown that they could be keen on signing the misfit holding midfielder, reports The Telegraph.
A France under-21 international who had impressed in both his homeland and Portugal, hopes were high when Imbula was signed at the beginning of 2016 for a fee of £18.3 million from FC Porto.
However he has not at all lived up to the price tag, making only 23 Premier League starts in that time.
None of those have come in this calendar year as Geoff Cameron, Glenn Whelan, Joe Allen and Charlie Adam have all been preferred in central midfield.
Could Imbula be back in a Marseille shirt next season?
The Telegraph’s report says Stoke will be happy to let Imbula go this summer – something that is unsurprising given how sparingly Mark Hughes has used him – and that Olympique Marseille are also interested.
A loan deal that would see the Potters having to pay at least a decent portion of his wages and allow for his value to increase should he impress is also said to be possible.
However they look set to take a sizeable financial hit whatever happens.
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