Stoke City should cash in on Tottenham, Sheffield United interest to fund Steven Schumacher rebuild: View | OneFootball

Stoke City have had a disappointing season after finishing 17th in the Championship, just six points clear of the relegation zone.

The Potters recruited aggressively last summer as they tried to make a push for promotion, bringing in 19 new players.

But after a slow start to the season saw them axe manager Alex Neil, they're looking to rebuild again under former Plymouth Argyle boss Steven Schumacher.

Stoke ended the campaign strongly and were fourth in the form table from matchweek 41-46, having lost just one of their final six games, according to Transfermarkt.

There's hope that under Schumacher's guidance, Stoke can begin to utilise the resources available to them and stage a push for promotion back to the Premier League.

It looks like the former Argyle boss will be charged with heading another rebuild this summer and that process could well be funded by the sale of midfielder Wouter Berger.

Berger only arrived at Stoke last summer but has impressed in his short time at the club, attracting interest from the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Sheffield United.

Whilst Stoke would be losing one of their key players by selling Burger, the funds raised from his departure would be vital to Schumacher as he tries to build a team in his image.

Stoke would be wise to cash in on Burger in order to revamp their squad ahead of next season.

Burger makes instant impact at Stoke

Burger arrived from FC Basel in the summer and quickly set about becoming an integral part of Stoke's team.

A rangy defensive midfielder, his ability to cover space and break up play has seen him gain plaudits this season despite a disappointing campaign for Stoke.

Burger made such an impact on Stoke's squad that he was handed the captaincy in several games, whilst also displaying an ability to score key goals as Stoke fought to put distance between them and the relegation zone.

The 23-year-old will be a huge loss to Stoke's team should he move on but if Schumacher wants to build a squad capable of challenging for the play-offs next season, he needs to level up the rest of the group and that can only be done by raising funds through the sales of key personnel like Burger.

The Potters paid a reported £4.3m for his services last summer and cashing in now could see them make nearly £8m in profit, which is not a figure to be sniffed at as Schumacher gets to work in the summer transfer market.

Burger attracting Premier League interest

Burger was a surprise addition at Stoke, with several higher-profile clubs said to be interested in him last summer.

But his plan to use Stoke as a stepping stone seems to have worked in his favour, with Tottenham now touted with interest in his signature.

Tottenham are looking to bolster their midfield with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg set to leave the club and Burger's reported £12m asking price is deemed good value for a player of his ability.

Sheffield United have also been touted with interest in Burger but their relegation from the Premier League means they're a far less attractive proposition for the Dutch midfielder.

For Stoke, the reported fee Burger would command would prove invaluable to their rebuild if invested correctly, and it feels as though the short-term impact of losing Burger would be outweighed by the long-term gains.