Could Stoke City lose three centre-backs in the space of a few months?
While Ryan Shawcross travels that seldom-seen path from Staffordshire to Miami, Nathan Collins continues to be linked with a big-money move to one of the Premier League’s big hitters with Manchester United joining Arsenal in the race for the 19-year-old colossus.
Collins has made huge strides under Michael O’Neill this season. However, he isn’t the only talented young defender going from strength to strength in the Potteries while attracting admiring glances from the division above.
It always felt like a matter of time before Harry Souttar found a place in the gossip columns.
And, with the Express reporting West Ham United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Crystal Palace have all been watching the 6ft 7in, Scotland-born Australia international, Stoke fans could be forgiven for breathing a resigned sigh before strapping themselves in for a long summer of speculation.
Then again, with the ink still drying on the long-term contract Souttar signed only last month – and with O’Neill making it clear Stoke aren’t going to sell their star players for a knockdown price – the Premier League trio won’t have an easy task ahead of them.
The message coming out of Staffordshire could hardly be clearer – Souttar is not for sale.
Here’s what some Stoke City fans had to say on Twitter about the speculation surrounding Souttar:
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