Aston Villa have made a six-figure bid for Stoke enforcer Glenn Whelan as they close in on a surprise transfer, according to a reliable journalist.
Telegraph correspondent John Percy claimed on his personal Twitter account on Friday that the Premier League club have rejected the £500,000 offer from Villa but a deal “should happen”.
Percy reports that Villa are still in talks with the Potters as they look to add the experienced midfield campaigner to their ranks during the summer window.
#avfc are in talks with Stoke over a deal for Glenn Whelan. Opening bid of 500k turned down but deal should happen #scfc
— John Percy (@JPercyTelegraph) June 9, 2017
Whelan, 33, has been on the books at Stoke for over nine years since he signed from Sheffield Wednesday in January 2008.
He has since made 337 appearances for the Potters across all competitions and stayed in Mark Hughes’ first-team plans in the recently-ended campaign.
The 81-times Republic of Ireland international played 31 times in domestic competition during the 2016-17 season, mostly as a defensive midfielder.
Whelan began his career at Manchester City, but never made a senior appearance for the club before switching to Hillsborough in 2004 after two loan spells with Bury.
He was part of the Stoke team that earned promotion from the Championship in 2007-08 and also helped them reach the 2011 FA Cup final as they established themselves in the top flight under Tony Pulis and Mark Hughes.