Stoke chairman Peter Coates has admitted the club would be ready to break the budget if the right player became available. Boss Tony Pulis has already been linked with a number of new faces but Coates would not be drawn on who they are looking to land.

He did, however, admit that each transfer would be assessed on an individual basis to determine what the club could afford.

"We don't have a wage ceiling as such. We will deal with things on their merits," he told The Sentinel.

"Every club has a structure and that is normal, but we always look at each player on his merits and there are different ways of doing things.

"But it is not a case of us looking for big-name players. What we want are good players who are going to improve us.

"The deal has to be acceptable to us and we don't pay wages like Chelsea and Manchester United and Arsenal."

Coates has admitted that there is unlikely to be too much transfer activity in the coming days, with many players currently on international duty at the World Cup.

He added: "The transfers are always a bit later anyway, but they are likely to be later because of the World Cup."