Transfer news from the bet365 Stadium as former number one Stoke City transfer target Rafa Mujica is on the cusp of lucrative deal

Raja Mujica, a striker highly coveted by Stoke City earlier this season, is on the verge of completing a big money move to Qatar.

Mujica, aged 25, was Stoke’s top striker target in the winter, StokeonTrentLive understands, after he found the scoresheet regularly for Arouca in Portugal. It proved too expensive and difficult to get a deal done in January but then-technical director Ricky Martin, who left the club in February, was hoping it could be revisited in the summer.

He is no longer on Stoke’s radar for a number of reasons, not least because 20 goals in the Primeira Liga means he is not a realistic target financially for a Championship club without parachute payments. Qatar Stars League champions Al-Sadd are set to trigger an £8.5 million release clause for his signature.