Stoke City pushing to beat Coventry and Millwall to signing of Burnley player | OneFootball

They were restricted to signing free transfers and loan players last summer, but Stoke City are now a lot more ambitious in their dealings 12 months later.

Financial Fair Play worries meant that the Potters could not do much in regards to paying transfer fees in 2022, but the outlook is more positive and a lot different in 2023 thanks to a restructure of the club's debts and the £15 million sale of Harry Souttar to Leicester City in January.

Head coach Alex Neil is certainly being backed this summer, with a mix of free transfers, loan signings and permanent additions for transfer fees arriving at the Bet365 Stadium, with the latest of those being Morocco international striker Ryan Mmaee for a seven-figure fee.

And City are not stopping their in their pursuit of new additions before the 2023-24 season begins, and that includes trying to add to their defence.

Stoke are short on centre-back options going into the new campaign, with the departures of trio Phil Jagielka, Aden Flint and Morgan Fox meaning that Neil is lacking depth.

Michael Rose arrived on a free transfer from Coventry City just months after the Potters tried their luck with a £750,000 bid in January, and he joins Ben Wilmot and youngster Connor Taylor as Neil's options right now.

City are clearly in the market for further adidtions in that area though and were linked with a loan move for Chelsea youngster Bashir Humphreys last week.

However, a fresh face has emerged as a target for the Staffordshire outfit, and it is one that will potentially worry some of Stoke's Championship rivals.

McNally eyed up by Stoke

According to a report from Alan Nixon on Patreon, Stoke have now joined the race for Burnley centre-half Luke McNally, who is also of interest to other second tier clubs.

McNally signed for the Clarets last summer from Oxford United in League One, but he failed to get a look in in the first half of the 2022-23 campaign thanks to the form of his other team-mates.

Vincent Kompany decided to send McNally on loan to Coventry City in January, and the 23-year-old played a major in the Sky Blues' run to the Championship play-off final, playing in every single league minute.

Coventry have been interested in signing McNally again despite the arrivals of Bobby Thomas, Joel Latibeaudiere and Luis Binks, and there has also been a pursuit by Millwall as well to try and land the Irishman.

But they could now both be gazumped by Stoke, who Nixon claims have more of a financial pull to get a deal done as quickly as possible.

Who do Stoke play in their first match of the 2023-24 season?

It is reported that Stoke head coach Neil is very keen to secure the services of McNally and a deal could be done before Stoke's first match of the new campaign, which comes against Rotherham United this coming Saturday at the Bet365 Stadium.

Burnley themselves have signed new defenders this summer, with Dara O'Shea arriving from West Brom and Jordan Beyer being acquired permanently from Borussia Monchengladbach, and with other centre-backs being targeted it looks as though McNally doesn't have a future at Turf Moor this coming season.

With three years left on his contract though, it looks as though it will be a loan deal that Stoke or another club will strike, but the Potters now appear to be in pole position.