According to TEAMtalk, Stoke City has raised the asking price for midfield player Wouter Burger to £12 million in response to increasing Premier League interest.
The 23-year-old moved from Swiss club FC Basel to the bet365 Stadium just a year ago, paying £4.3 million for the opportunity. After signing a four-year contract, he was thrown into the spotlight right away, making his debut in August as a second-half substitute in a 1-0 loss to Millwall.
Burger quickly emerged as one of the team’s few bright spots as the Potters’ awful season went on. Josh Laurent, a former Dutch under-21 international, was handed the captain’s armband by new manager Steven Schumacher in December after suffering an injury.
In spite of his efforts, Stoke fell down the Championship standings. At the end of February, they were demoted, but thanks to a decent season, they ended up six points above the drop zone in 17th place.
He received praise from the fans for his performance, as evidenced by the fact that he came in second place for Player of the Season, behind fellow midfielder Bae Junho. Unfortunately for Schumacher’s team, this has made several Premier League teams take an interest in him.
Tottenham Hotspur is reportedly leading the chase, with Sheffield United, who was just demoted, following closely behind. Additionally, two unidentified clubs are rumoured to be interested, which might spark a bidding war this summer.
Allegedly, Stoke placed a £12 million price tag on Burger’s head, signifying a substantial gain just a year after he left Switzerland for Staffordshire. The article states that it is doubtful that this cost will deter any prospective suitors.
Given that they only recently signed Burger, Stoke will be fighting to hang onto a player with his calibre. With three years left on his contract, the midfield player clearly has his price, but the Potters are the stronger team.
Should they establish a firm interest, it will be challenging to thwart a team the magnitude of Spurs that can provide European football. But with their relegation, it doesn’t appear likely that he will transfer to Sheffield United. Selling to a team that will play in the same division the following season is unnecessary, especially if that team would be a direct competitor.
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