According to BBC Sport, Scottish champions Celtic are set to reignite their interest in relegated Stoke City player Joe Allen.
The 2017-18 season was an unrewarding one for the Potteries as a 10-year spell in the Premier League ended with a demotion back to English football’s second division.
Next season, Stoke will no longer be playing against the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City but will rather facing the likes of Millwall, Preston North End and Rotherham United.
With relegation comes major changes as players who are high earners or those who do not want to play in the second tier look to take their trade elsewhere. Other teams also tend to keep close watch on relegated sides with an element of cherry-picking on their mind.
In that mindset Stoke will have to prepare themselves for interest in former Liverpool midfielder Joe Allen. The 28-year-old, 42-cap Wales international signed for Potters from Liverpool in a deal worth £4 million in late July 2016.
In last season’s Premier League campaign, Allen pplayed in 36 of Stoke’s 38 games – netting two goals and providing six assists. The Mirror admit that midfielder Allen is “expected to be in hot demand” as one of 15 first team players that new manager Gary Rowett is expected to send forth due to relegation.
However, The Mirror do go on to say that those behind the scenes at the Bet365 Stadium hope to convince Allen, who has a £25 million buy-out clause in his contract, to remain with them. They admit that clause is only activated should a top-six side bid but, “despite interest from former boss Brendan Rogers at Celtic”, Stoke are hoping that Allen “may buy into the new regime” and ethos that comes with Rowett’s appointment.
