Stoke City are expected to sanction the departure of Ryan Mmaee this summer
A potential boost for Stoke City this week as Ryan Mmaee suitors Standard Liege ended a troubled relationship with former owners 777 Partners.
Standard were initially seized as an asset by the Belgian government last year when 777 descended into financial turmoil, before A-Cap, the club’s largest creditor assumed control.
Now a deal completed for the club to be bought by a consortium led by Giacomo Angelini. and that pushes the domino on their summer business.
No one is expecting a subsequent transfer frenzy but they have been freed up to think about the future. It is claimed in Belgium that they will have a transfer budget of about one million euros as they deal with debts of 12 million euros.
Mmaee’s advisors have been exploring other opportunities around Europe and further afield but Standard Liege, where he played as a teenager, seem to be in pole position at the moment.
A Mmaee fee is not particularly likely to change the shape of Stoke’s own transfer window but it will be an important chunk to tick off the wage bill and one less headache for Mark Robins when he returns for pre-season on June 26.
Mmaee hasn’t played since August last year, having been injured through the entirety of a loan spell at Rapid Vienna and not getting on the pitch when he returned to the Potteries in January.
Niall Ennis is also expected to depart in the close season and he has been linked with Bolton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic in League One, as well as Blackpool, where he spent the second half of last season on loan.
Bolton – now managed by Steven Schumacher – have signed striker Sam Dalby from Wrexham but are braced for interest from MK Dons in top scorer Aaron Collins. Blackpool have signed two free agent centre-backs before Steve Bruce turns his attention to the other end of the pitch.
