Stoke City plotting summer transfer swoop for Burnley player | OneFootball

Jay Rodriguez could end his second spell at Burnley by signing for Stoke City this summer.

With Stoke fans having to suffer another season of misfiring forwards, the board is looking to address this issue and the signing of experienced Championship forward Rodriguez may answer some of those questions, with TEAMtalk claiming he is a target for the Potters.

The end for Rodriguez at Burnley

Having re-signed for the Clarets in 2019 for a fee of £10 million from West Brom, Rodriguez played a vital role in a number of Premier League campaigns for Burnley. Following their relegation to the Championship in 2022, he then helped them restore their place in the top division last year, netting ten goals in 28 games in what was a relatively injury-hit season for the striker.

This season has seen game time limited though for Rodriguez, who called this season a "shock to the system" when speaking to the Burnley Express. With manager Vincent Kompany not envisaging him being at the club past his contract expiry in the summer, Stoke City have been provided with a real opportunity.

Experienced Rodriguez could be the answer for Stoke City

The Potters have once again struggled for goals this season, with only three sides having scored less than their 41 goals this campaign. In addition to this, Tyrese Campbell and Wesley's contracts are both expiring this summer and neither have been able to find the goals to power their side higher up the league.

This could allow the Stoke board to shift their focus immediately onto a new striker and Rodriguez is clearly an option high on that list.

Coming towards the end of his career, the forward's ability is evidently still good enough for Championship level. Having played for Barnsley and West Brom as well as Burnley in the second tier, his goal record is something that speaks for itself with 64 goals in 184 appearances.

Even with hope of signing a player as good as Burnley's number nine, Steven Schumacher's side still have the very firm worry of relegation to the third division. After Saturday's 1-1 draw against relegation rivals Sheffield Wednesday, they now hold a three-point advantage over Huddersfield in 22nd and will be hoping that they can just do enough in their final three games to survive the scare of the drop.

Having never featured in a League One game in his career, Rodriguez undoubtedly won't try to do so anytime soon and will be hoping that offers will come from elsewhere should Stoke be relegated. Alongside this, the issue of wages is something that City could only solve should they retain their second-tier status with the forward believed to be on around £40,000 a week currently at Burnley, which would make him Stoke's highest paid player.