Stoke City are understood to be tracking Dundee United’s Louis Appere as well as Lawrence Shankland.
The English Championship club decided not to make a bid for Shankland in January after the Tangerines made it clear the Scotland striker wasn’t for sale while they were still fighting to secure promotion to the Premiership.
Stoke boss Michael O’Neill has this week confirmed that he will be keeping an eye on the Scottish transfer market when the next window opens, with a particular interest in young rising stars.
“Typically, you’ll get a player with a good attitude who is hungry to succeed,” he said.
“The other thing about the Scottish Premiership is that there are a lot of young players.
“You can come up here and find 21 year-olds who’ve played a hundred games and that’s quite hard to find in English football, certainly in the Championship and Premier League level.
“What’s happening up here, as a result of the financial struggle, is that clubs have to develop their own players and that means at every club, typically, there are young players getting the opportunity to play first team football.”
Sources in the Midlands suggest that Appere, who was called up by Scot Gemmill for the under-21s before the coronavirus lockdown, is also on their radar.
Appere developed as a young footballer at AM Soccer, the youth academy founded by O’Neill’s coaching assistant with Northern Ireland, Austin MacPhee.
Stoke aren’t the only big English Championship club linked with Appere. Leeds United have also been credited with an interest in the 21-year-old.
