Stoke pull out of Ba deal

Hoffenheim striker Demba Ba may now join West Ham after a proposed move to Stoke City fell apart on medical grounds.

Senegal forward Ba was on the verge of joining Stoke after the club agreed a 7.1 million pound transfer with Bundesliga side Hoffenheim.

Ba also agreed personal terms with the English Premier League club, but the 25-year-old failed a medical examination at Stoke’s Clayton Wood training ground.

“Having agreed all the financial terms of the deal with Hoffenheim and the player, he failed his medical,” Stoke chief executive Tony Scholes said.

“We will therefore not be signing him on a permanent basis.”

It has not been revealed what injury or fitness problem prevented the deal from being completed.

But the French-born striker may still be on his way to the Premier League, with West Ham United willing to renew their interest.

Following the publication of concerns over Ba’s fitness, West Ham are likely to seek an initial loan move before a permanent deal is discussed.

Ba has courted controversy in his attempts to secure a move.

The former Rouen and Mouscron player threatened to go on strike from Hoffenheim as he sought to have a transfer request granted.

He also refused to join his teammates on a mid-season training camp in Spain.