Stoke prepare improved bid for James Chester
According to a recent report in the Daily Mail, Stoke City are set to offer an improved bid of £7 million for Aston Villa defender James Chester.
The Welsh international is in high demand this summer as a number of clubs have realised that Villa are struggling to raise the £40 million that they need to beat Financial Fairplay restrictions.
Villa want at least £10 million for one of their best players, as it is understood that they still owe West Brom some of the £8 million that they bought Chester for back in 2016.
The 29-year-old put in outstanding performance after outstanding performance last season to help guide Villa to the Play-Off Final, so losing him would be a huge blow to Steve Bruce and the Villa fans.
Even if Villa reject Stoke’s offer again, it’s it highly likely that a Premier League club will come in with an offer that Chester nor Tony Xia will be able to decline. In other words, we’d be surprised if we saw Chester in the starting XI against Hull City on the 6th August.