Stoke City have rekindled their interest in Gianelli Imbula and have agreed a club-record £18.5m deal to sign the midfielder from Porto, reports The Times.
The Potters were extremely interested in signing the Frenchman at the start of the month but saw their interest peter out because of Porto’s excessive price tag.
Mark Hughes has been looking for a dominant midfield figure since selling Steven N’Zonzi to Sevilla for £7m in July 2015 and have now moved a step closer to signing their man after positive talks over the weekend.
Stoke broke their club transfer record in the summer when they paid £12m to sign Xherdan Shaqiri from Inter and it is another sign of real intent under Hughes as they look set to break it once more this season, particularly given Imbula's Champions League experience.
Imbula ranks among the top 20 for dribbles per game (2.6) and pass completion (92%) in the Champions League this season.
For more stats on Gianelli Imbula, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
