‘He’s got to move somewhere’ – Stoke City boss teases interest in Chelsea legend Terry once again

Mark Hughes is coyly refusing to rule out Stoke City making a move to offer former England captain John Terry a new home when he ends his long association with Chelsea this summer.

The 36-year-old defender’s impending departure from Stamford Bridge was announced last month and Potters boss Hughes has admitted that he enquired about Terry’s future plans when his team visited Stamford Bridge on New Year’s Eve.

The Stoke manager also spoke to Terry again at March’s reverse fixture but Hughes is keeping his cards close to his chest when it comes to just how concrete his interest in signing the Chelsea legend is.

“John’s got to move somewhere. He’s someone I know very well but I think there would be a lot of interest in John Terry,” said Hughes.

(Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

“Whether or not we’d be able to present anything to John that would make him think [about joining Stoke], I don’t know – I haven’t had that conversation.

“We spoke briefly after the Chelsea game here this year and had a laugh and a joke about things.

“Whether that constitutes me personally asking about his future, I don’t know.”

Hughes has confirmed that defensive reinforcements will be his priority when the transfer window opens.

The Stoke chief added: “Predominantly, since I’ve been at the club, we’ve concentrated more on at the top end of the pitch and midfield.

“That’s where we’ve spent our money but this year, it’s more likely to be at the back.

“We have to do it stage-by-stage and the back four isn’t an area where we’ve invested a lot of money, so the intention this year is more on defensive positions.”