Thursday 13 August 2015 11:01, UK
Switzerland international winger Xherdan Shaqiri has completed a medical and agreed personal terms with Stoke City ahead of a proposed move from Inter Milan, according to Sky sources.
The Midlands club agreed a £12m deal for the former Bayern Munich man earlier this summer but boss Mark Hughes subsequently admitted they were moving on after being made to wait for a verdict from the player.
But Shaqiri was spotted watching Stoke's 1-0 defeat at home to Liverpool on Sunday and Hughes told the media afterwards that he was "hopeful" he would now sign for the club.
It is believed the ongoing deal is made complicated because Bayern, who sold Shaqiri to Inter in January, included a number of sell-on clauses in the attacker's contract.
Stoke actually attempted to sign Shaqiri from Bayern before the 23-year-old opted for Inter instead, subsequently signing a four-year deal at the San Siro.
But he immediately struggled for form in Italy, making just eight Serie A starts for Inter and scoring one goal.
Hughes said on Sunday: "I hope we can conclude something, and then we'll be delighted, but nothing is certain in the transfer market when the window is open.
"We've been close in the past and haven't been able to conclude deals. We'll have to wait and see.
"We are not allowed that conversation. We'll just have to wait and see. Sometimes you can get these things done very quickly and other times it takes a little bit longer."
Hughes added in his post-match press conference: "We're hopeful. We've had a pre-season of chasing quality targets. Until you see the player holding a shirt you never know but we're hoping of making something happen - the fact that he's here would suggest that."
If Shaqiri does make the move to Stoke, he would become Hughes' eighth signing of the summer following the additions of Jakob Haugaard, Philipp Wollscheid, Joselu, Marco van Ginkel, Shay Given, Glen Johnson and Ibrahim Afellay.
