Transfer news and gossip as Stoke City try to assemble competitive squad for the new season

Dion Sanderson, as well as Matija Sarkic and Ki-Jana Hoever, has flown out with Wolves for a pre-season training camp in Portugal – with clubs told to cough up more than £2 million if they want to sign him.

Centre-back Sanderson, aged 23, is a wanted man in the Championship after loans at Birmingham City and Sunderland and it’s Birmingham and Stoke City who have been reported to be frontrunners through the early weeks of the summer transfer window

Birmingham have had one offer in excess of £1.5m knocked back and BirminghamLive say that Wolves are holding out for £2.25m for a player who has been on their books for 16 years.

Wolves have a number of players on transfer hit lists in the second tier, including keeper Sarkic and full-back Hoever as well as left-back Ryan Giles and midfielders Joe Hodge and Luke Cundle.

But, despite a couple of big spends from relegated Leicester in the last few days, most clubs are operating on tight budgets as they manage Financial Fair Play rules. That includes Birmingham, despite an imminent takeover, and Stoke, who have emerged from a challenging three-year cycle but have to use their budget to cover the rebuild of a whole squad.