Stoke City set to sign 48-cap international striker in bargain £0 deal | OneFootball

The Potters are closing in on bolstering their attacking unit even further

Stoke City are closing in on adding yet another striker to their ranks ahead of the 2025-26 Championship season, with Slovakia international Róbert Boženík reportedly arriving at the bet365 Stadium.

The Potters' summer transfer window is really yet to set alight, with just four new arrivals so far in Staffordshire - Maxi Talovierov and Sorba Thomas have joined on permanent transfers from Plymouth Argyle and Huddersfield Town respectively, the experienced Aaron Cresswell has arrived on a free transfer, with Man City striker Divin Mubama being the fourth arrival on loan from the Etihad Stadium.

The centre-forward position was one of real struggle for Stoke last season - Tom Cannon was recalled by Leicester City in January from his loan stint, and in the second half of the season, the likes of Ali Al-Hamadi, Nathan Lowe and Sam Gallagher couldn't find the back of the net with regularity.

Mubama has arrived to try and add some more goals to Mark Robins' ranks, and he's set to be joined by a player that is well-versed on the international stage.

Stoke City closing in on Róbert Boženík deal

According to claims made by Portuguese journalist Sebastião Sousa-Pinto, Boavista striker Róbert Boženík is set to arrive at Stoke imminently, with a three-year deal on the table for the 25-year-old on a free transfer.

It was previously reported by Sousa-Pinto last week that due to Boavista's relegation from Portugal's top flight amid their financial struggles, Boženík's contract has been terminated by the club to allow him to move on, despite the fact he had one year remaining.

And despite training with MSK Zilina in his home country of Slovakia, it looks as though Boženík's next move will be to England and specifically Stoke - a year after a reported £3.8 million move to Hull City did not end up transpiring.

Boženík scored just five times in the Primeira Liga last season for Boavista amid their struggles, but he scored 20 goals in 95 appearances across his whole three years there.

Róbert Boženík could end up being a bargain for Stoke City

Should Boženík be a success in-front of goal for Stoke, then he could end up being a very savvy piece of business for a club that are evidently cutting their cloth accordingly based on the proposed sale of Wouter Burger to Hoffenheim.

Boženík, in normal circumstances, would be a player that likely costs north of £3 million in the transfer market, but given Boavista's struggles, Stoke look set to land him for no transfer fee at all, which is pretty remarkable.

The last time Boženík hit double figures in a league season was in 2018-19 for Zilina in Slovakia when he was an up-and-coming young talent, which may be somewhat of a concern, but he has played in the top flight of Portugal for the last three years, so he evidently has something about him.

With 48 caps and seven goals under his belt for Slovakia too, Boženík has plenty of pedigree that will be well-utilised by Robins, who now has a number of options to call upon ahead of the Championship season.