Mame Diouf in talks with Stoke

Stoke City have stepped up their chase for Hannover striker Mame Biram Diouf, Bild has reported.

The former Manchester United starlet has long ago caught the eye of the Potters scouts, but they have only recently decided to make their interest concrete.

Bild reporters have spotted Stoke directors Tony Scholes and Mark Cartwright with the player’s agent Jim Solbakken in Hannover, which is enough to suggest the negotiations over a switch to England are well under way.

The 96ers manager Dirk Dufner has moved to confirm the talks, but he remains adamant no agreement has been reached.

“They wanted to come over and have a conversation in person. We have done that. But there was no agreement,” Dufner confessed to Bild.

With the player’s contract due to expire at the end of the current campaign, Hannover chiefs are aware they need to sell Diouf this summer if they are to make some kind of profit.

The 25-year-old has impressed since moving to Bundesliga from Manchester United, notching 27 goals in 52 competitive matches.