Stoke City Football Club hope to land Roque Santa Cruz for £8million.

Mark Hughes moved heaven and earth to take the striker to Manchester City last summer, and eventually succeeded when the Blues paid £17.5million for the Paraguayan.

However, the former Blackburn Rovers striker has struggled for form at Eastlands, and new coach Roberto Mancini has a number of players ahead of him in the pecking order.

The Italian coach is said to be prepared to listen to offers for the 28-year-old during the window, and The Sun claim Stoke are willing to pay £8milion for his signature.

Tony Pulis is eager to land a top striker before the start of the season, but such a deal would represent a massive loss for the Manchester club after just twelve months.

Santa Cruz is said to be keen on remaining at City and challenging for his place in the side, which could be eased if Emmanuel Adebayor moves on in the summer.

The Togo international also arrived at the club last year, but he too has been linked with an exit, with Marseille and Juventus both interested.

Get all the latest news on your club. Visit 360 Football, the best football news aggregator on the web!