Stoke City have been linked with Belgium star Witsel.
According to Tuttomercatoweb, Stoke City are proposing a player-plus-cash deal for Axel Witsel.
The Italian report claims that the Potters are looking to beat Juventus to the signature of the Zenit Saint Petersburg man, and have proposed a deal including forward Bojan Krkic.
Stoke were fairly quiet during the summer transfer window and their lack of signings may have played a part in the club’s poor start to the Premier League campaign.
With Joe Allen the only permanent addition to have featured regularly so far this season, Mark Hughes’ men currently sit in the bottom three having picked up just three points from six games.
The Midlands side appear short in central midfield options in terms of creativity, and one player they have seemingly identified ahead of the January transfer window is Zenit’s Witsel.
The Belgium international was heavily linked with a switch during the summer but a move ultimately never materialised, prompting increased interest ahead of January.
The 27-year-old has made over 150 appearances for Zenit since joining the Russian club from Benfica, and over the past three seasons he has helped his team win one league title and three domestic cups.
The report in TMW claims Stoke have competition from Juventus for his signature, but in order to push to the front of the queue Hughes’ side are willing to throw Bojan into the deal.
The former Barcelona man netted seven times in 31 games for Stoke last term, yet this season he has found himself in and out of the first team with only three league starts.
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