Hughes wants to partner the tall forward with Defoe.
Tottenham Hotspur striker Jermain Defoe has emerged as a transfer target for Stoke City manager Mark Hughes with the Welshman wanting to bring back the partnership with Peter Crouch, reports the Mirror.
Crouch and Defoe played together at both Spurs and Portsmouth, as well as England and Hughes is keen to rekindle that relationship.
The 30-year-old Tottenham man could be on his way out of White Hart Lane this summer as boss Andre Villas-Boas looks to shake-up the north London club’s attacking format.
Both the Englishman and Emmanuel Adebayor could be sold, whilst Christian Benteke, Roberto Soldado and David Villa have been linked with moves the other way.
Therefore Stoke stand a realistic chance of snapping up the England international and playing him alongside Crouch – despite the towering forward being touted by former manager Harry Redknapp at QPR.
It’s likely that Defoe would set Hughes back around £6m, but with a proven goal-scoring record in the Premier League that may seem like a safe purchase by the ex-Manchester United and Chelsea star.
In 367 matches in the top tier of English football – a career that has spanned 12 years – the striker has scored 124 goals and sits 12th on the all-time list of top-scorers in the division.
Hughes has already been busy in the transfer market this summer, having acquired two defenders in PSV Eindhoven’s Erik Pieters and Marc Muniesa of Barcelona.
With Defoe’s proven credentials in-front of goal the manager could do a lot worse than signing the Spurs man.
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