Stoke City are reportedly closing in on a deal for former Bordeaux winger Jeremy Livolant, beating fellow Championship side Sheffield Wednesday.
Livolant left Bordeaux after the club deregistered as a professional football club because of financial issues at the end of last season.
The 26-year-old became a free agent, and clubs were alerted to his availability on a free transfer this summer.
What do we know about the interest in Livolant?
The first report came from Darren Witcoop on X (formerly Twitter). Witcoop shared that both Stoke City and Sheffield Wednesday were in contact with the French winger over a potential move.
TEAMtalk shared a story on the back of the tweet stating that Stoke City were leading the race to sign Livolant.
The winger was said to be at the Stoke City training ground going over details, with the deal being in advanced stages.
How did he fare last season?
Livolant featured heavily for Bordeaux last season in Ligue 2. He played 38 games, starting 29 of those games.
In those games, he scored five goals and picked up four assists. Sofascore gave Livolant an average rating throughout the season of 6.93.
In front of goal, Livolant had 1.2 shots per game in Ligue 2. His goal conversion was 11%, something he’ll likely be keen to improve at his next club.
Livolant was a threat for Bordeaux throughout the season. He created 0.9 key passes on average across the season and had an average passing success rate of 75%.
He also did his part defensively for the team. Not only that, but he recovered 2.4 balls per game and made 0.6 tackles per game across the season.
Is Livolant a good signing for Stoke City?
Stoke City were dragged into the relegation battle in the Championship last season and will be hoping to be well clear of that this season.
If they do get the signing of Livolant over the line, he could play a key part in their season.
He’s got attacking quality and can play anywhere in the midfield, which Steven Schumacher would likely welcome as it improves their depth and quality.
If Schumacher can get the best out of the winger, they could have an excellent player in their possession.