According to reports in The Sun, Stoke City are lining up a £15m bid for Crystal Palace winger Andros Townsend as they look to find a replacement for Marko Arnautovic after the Austrian joined West Ham United last month.

The Sun says that Potters boss Mark Hughes is keen to bring the 26-year-old to the Britannia Stadium just a year after he joined the Eagles, when the south London outfit activated his £12m release clause at previous side Newcastle United following the Magpies’ relegation to the Championship.

The England international has been featuring in a wing-back role under new boss Frank de Boer during pre-season but Hughes would likely give him the opportunity to play further forward for Stoke, as Arnautovic did.

Meanwhile, Everton manager Ronald Koeman has already significantly strengthened his team this summer but the one out-and-out winger he has signed – Henry Onyekuru – immediately joined Anderlecht on a season-long loan deal.

Here are three reasons Everton should hijack Stoke’s bid to sign Townsend…

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While he perhaps took a while to settle in to a struggling Crystal Palace side last season, Townsend still scored three goals and provided a further six assists in 36 Premier League appearances as the Eagles narrowly avoided relegation to the Championship.

The 26-year-old winger loves to run at defenders and get crosses into the box, and he created 50 chances in total for his teammates last term.

The England international showed how much of a threat he can be to the opposition by successfully completing 67 take-ons, while he isn’t afraid of his defensive responsibilities either after winning 64 tackles – an attribute that should impress Ronald Koeman.

Lack of wingers

With new boy Henry Onyekuru being sent out on loan to Anderlecht for the season and with Yannick Bolasie not set to return until January, according to PhysioRoom.com, as he recovers from a serious knee injury, Koeman doesn’t have a plethora of options out wide.

New signings Wayne Rooney, Davy Klaassen and Sandro Ramirez are more likely to play through the middle, which leaves the Dutchman with Ademola Lookman, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Kevin Mirallas and Aaron Lennon.

With the first two still young and relatively inexperienced and the latter linked with a move to Watford, Koeman may feel that he needs extra depth on the flanks in what is sure to be a fixture-heavy season if they qualify for the group stages of the Europa League.

Price tag

Everton would probably admit that they have paid over the odds for some of their new signings this summer, and the chance to buy Townsend – a proven Premier League performer who has also made a big impact in 13 caps for his country – for £15m could be an opportunity that is too good to turn down.

The 26-year-old – whose ability to play on either wing is another bonus – would likely jump at the chance to play European football again and he is a player that can make a difference on the pitch in the English top flight too with Koeman likely to have to rotate his team next season.

Do you agree, Toffees fans? Let us know below.