Stoke City are making a huge mistake as ‘important’ star set to join Bundesliga giants for shocking fee

Add as preferred source on Google

Stoke City boss Mark Robins is set to lose one of his prized Potters assets as German top flight outfit TSG Hoffenheim swoop for star.

Stoke City flirted with relegation to League One throughout the 2024/25 Championship campaign and have since endured a tale of two halves in the summer transfer window.

So far, the Potters have made some stellar signings, after Stoke signed Sorba Thomas from Huddersfield Town earlier in the window.

Thomas was followed by Divin Mubama’s loan switch capture from Manchester City, the £2m purchase of Maksym Talovierov from Plymouth Argyle, and Premier League free agent Aaron Cresswell.

Despite those positive incomings, Mark Robins is poised to lose several of his prized Potters assets this summer, with the latest Stoke exit coming with a surprising fee attached to the deal.

• READ MORE: David Moyes’ verdict on ‘determined’ Divin Mubama will be music to Stoke City’s ears

Wouter Burger set to leave Stoke City for TSG Hoffenheim

Potters boss Robins is braced for significant departures this summer, as earlier in the window, Million Manhoef could leave Stoke in the wake of last season’s relegation fight.

In recent days, reports emerged that Soll Sidibe is close to joining PSV Eindhoven, in a move which would see the Potters academy graduate depart after just 21 first-team appearances.

Now, Sidibe is set for the Bet 365 Stadium exit door alongside fellow midfielder Wouter Burger, as the Dutchman is poised to join German giants TSG Hoffenheim.

Telegraph reporter John Percy indicates on X that the Bundesliga outfit is poised to land Burger, after “Stoke accepted a bid of around €4-5m” (£3.5-£4.3m) for the Dutchman, with a medical set for later today (July 21).

From Hoffenheim’s perspective, Burger could be seen as a potential replacement for Anton Stach after he recently left for now-Premier League Leeds United.

Stoke signed the imposing midfielder from Swiss giants Basel in the summer of 2023 for a £4.3m fee, and he has since gone on to feature 86 times for the Potters.

EFL Analysis revealed earlier this window, via information from our Chief Football correspondent Graeme Bailey, that Stoke would let Burger leave if the Potters ‘doubled their money’ on Burger, which would constitute a fee between £8 and £9m.

However, in a surprising bit of business from Stoke, the Potters hierarchy are letting one of their standout players leave for half of his market value.

Due to the fees involved, this is a baffling decision from Stoke, and one which Robins will surely hate to see after his comments about Burger last season.

• READ MORE: Steven Schumacher opens up on ‘difficult’ relationship with Jon Walters and trust issues at Stoke City

Mark Robins will be fuming with Wouter Burger’s Stoke City exit

Burger was the subject of transfer interest within the January window, but stayed at Stoke for the remainder of the 2024/25 campaign to play a pivotal role in their second tier survival under Robins.

Robins told the BBC in February: “There was a potential to lose Wouter (Burger), so I’m pleased that he’s still here.

“He’s a really important player, he’s a really good player and he’s somebody who I think can improve further.

“There is a good player in there, 100% there is. Wouter has knuckled down and he’s working hard to try and improve on a day-to-day basis, so I’m pleased with what I’ve seen with Wouter so far.”

Towering Dutchman Burger was crucial in Stoke’s engine room for Robins, and his presence will be difficult to replace in the summer transfer window.

With fellow central midfielder Sidibe also set to depart, Stoke fans could be forgiven for allowing the club’s aforementioned stellar business to be marred by the imminent departure of the duo.

Now, the onus is on the Potters’ transfer team to vindicate the cut-price sales of Burger and Sidibe by recruiting some worthy replacements for Robins as he looks to end Stoke’s top flight absence.