Hughes ´very hopeful´ of Arnautovic Stoke stay

Stoke City boss Mark Hughes remains optimistic that Marko Arnautovic will decide to stay at the Premier League club.

The Austria international has entered the final 12 months of his contract at bet365 Stadium and has yet to sign an extension, despite Stoke having made an offer.

Arnautovic has been linked with a transfer away from Staffordshire before the new season, with Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain among the teams linked, but Hughes is confident the 27-year-old will commit his future to the club.

“We are where we were with Marko, but we remain very hopeful of being able to keep him here,” he told the club’s official website.

“Marko knows what he has here and knows the environment that he is in, he is well liked in the dressing room and in the stands too. Those sort of things are important to Marko, and he understands that. 

“He isn’t going to rush into any decision – clearly he has had an offer on the table from ourselves for a period of time now but his advisors want to take a look at the options for him.

“He was due to report back at the end of the week ready to go to America but he came back in on Monday, which was good to see.”

Arnautovic registered 11 goals and six assists in 34 Premier League appearances last season.