Michael O’Neill reveals Stoke City stance on duo as Burnley amongst clubs lurking ahead of summer | OneFootball

Stoke City manager Michael O’Neill has suggested that the Potters will not be actively looking to sell the likes of Joe Allen or Nathan Collins this summer, but admitted they would consider offers if they are made.

The Potters are facing a vital summer transfer window and O’Neill has already indicated that there is not going to be a lot of money available for them to make many permanent signings. Instead, he has already suggested that the loan market could be used to their advantage and that might be the best way for them to bring in players to their squad.

That comes with Stoke having a lot of high earners on their books that might need to be moved on in the next few windows. There have already been reports suggesting that Allen could be made available by the Potters this summer a year before his contract expires, while Premier League Burnley have been linked with a potential £9 million move for Collins.

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Asked about the potential for Stoke to sell the likes of Allen and Collins this summer, O’Neill told the Stoke Sentinel that the Potters would not be encouraging any offers for them but that they would need to consider offers that did come in for their players.

He said: “We won’t be giving players away. We may have to trade at times but you can’t sell unless someone is willing to buy you.

“It’s not something we’re going to encourage but if something happens we have to evaluate any situation or any player at this minute in time to try to freshen the squad, strengthen the squad in certain areas.

“Until that happens we’re not going to be in a position to do anything and if it does happen we’ll deal with it as it comes along.”

The verdict

From this update, it does suggest that there is a possibility that the likes of Collins and Allen could be allowed to move on to another club by the Potters this summer. Clearly, that would come down to whether or not a buying club comes in with an offer for them that the club deem is worthy of accepting so that they can reinvest in other departments.

Collins seems to be a player that will have potential offers made for him, and Burnley will feel encouraged to make their move for him now following this message from O’Neill. It seems if the Clarets can come in with a decent offer for the defender then Stoke might very well be tempted to cash in on him at this stage.

It is less certain whether Allen would be able to find a buyer in the summer, with the Wales international now heading into the latter part of his career. However, he is still a good option for someone to consider making a move for in the summer. It would be hard for Stoke to replace his presence in and around the dressing room you feel.