Stoke City boss Mark Hughes has hopes of closing a deal for West Brom striker Saido Berahino.
Hughes has shown interest in Berahino in the last two transfer windows and is keen to end his protracted chase for the striker by coming to an agreement with the Baggies this month.
"I'm not sure where we are with Saido Berahino," said Hughes. "We are probably getting to the point where we need to make a decision one way or another.
"I am hopeful that we will be able to get something done. We are interested in him, as a number of other clubs are, but nothing has moved forward from last week. We are still waiting for the player's club to give us an indication.
"I think we are looking at players who we feel can improve us, not only short-term but long-term too, and we have taken that into consideration with this deal. It is out of our hands unfortunately, but we are ready to discuss the situation and see where it progresses.
"It has been long-winded, and sometimes you lose some enthusiasm when that happens, but I have learned over the years that you have to be patient.
"We have been looking for a striker who can score 20-plus goals for some time now. They are a little bit scarce on the ground and you have to work hard to get them over the line."