Hoefkens may leave Stoke

West Brom are preparing to up their offer, and the Potters may sell the Belgian if their asking price of £1 million is met.

The 28-year-old only has one year left on his contract at the Britannia Stadium, and Stoke manager T~ony Pulis may decide that now is the time to cash in on the player.

Pulis is keen to bring in new faces for the start of next season, and he has been told by the board that the funds are there should he need them.

The Welsh boss is not under any pressure to sell either, making it easy for him to reject Sunderland's advances for his captain Danny Higginbotham earlier on in the close season.