Arnautovic hasn´t demanded £100,000 a week – Hughes

Stoke City manager Mark Hughes has denied reports that Marko Arnautovic is demanding a new £100,000-a-week contract. 

Arnautovic, signed from Werder Bremen for under £2million in 2013, has been in the form of his career this season for Stoke..

The 26-year-old has seven goals in 19 Premier League appearances in 2015-16, compared to five in 59 appearances across his first two seasons with the club.

Despite becoming an integral figure in Hughes’ line-up, the manager rubbished claims he has asked for a substantial pay rise. 

“I think figures get banded about and people are taking a stab in the dark,” he said. 

“They haven’t got the details of the contract – and why would they? We hope it will get done quickly because it will be beneficial to Marko because he wants to know where he’s going and to be settled.”

Hughes heaped praise on the Austria international but said he can add even more goals to his game.

“He should score more goals, but he’s starting to understand the enjoyment of scoring goals,” he added.

“That’s why he’s getting in better positions and giving himself chances to score more goals.

“His creation of chances is the same, but his goalscoring has improved and that’s why people have looked more closely at him.”