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

The 26-year-old only joined the Eagles a year ago after the south London outfit activated the wide-man’s £12m release clause following Newcastle United’s relegation to the Championship, according to The Sun, but now Potters boss Mark Hughes is keen to bring him to the Britannia Stadium.

The England international struggled to make an instant impact at Selhurst Park but he impressed as the season went on, and has been featuring in a wing-back role under new boss Frank de Boer during pre-season.

Meanwhile, Magpies manager Rafa Benitez is looking to add to his squad ahead of their return to the Premier League to ensure that they aren’t involved in a relegation battle next term.

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

Statistics

Britain Football Soccer - Crystal Palace v Burnley - Premier League - Selhurst Park - 29/4/17 Crystal Palace's Andros Townsend in action with Burnley's Michael Keane  Reuters / Stefan Wermuth Livepic EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 45 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications.  Please contact your account representative for furt

As we mentioned previously, Townsend struggled to make an impression for a struggling Crystal Palace side at the start of last season but he ended the campaign having made a significant impact with his three goals and six assists helping them narrowly avoid relegation to the Championship.

The 26-year-old created 50 chances for his teammates in 36 Premier League appearances and that is of little surprise when you see him often get down the wing and swing in crosses, or cut inside to try and create some openings.

The England international loves to dribble and successfully completed 67 take-ons last term, but he isn’t afraid of his defensive responsibilities either – something that could be important for Newcastle on their top flight return – and he also won 64 tackles.

Previous spell

Britain Football Soccer - Newcastle United v Crystal Palace - Barclays Premier League - St James' Park - 30/4/16
Newcastle manager Rafael Benitez celebrates with Andros Townsend at the end of the match
Reuters / Andrew Yates
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Townsend spent the second-half of the 2015/16 season with Newcastle after joining them from Tottenham but despite not being able to help them avoid relegation to the Championship, the winger made a big impression at St James’ Park and at least gave the fans some hope that they wouldn't go down.

The 26-year-old scored four goals in 13 Premier League appearances, also providing a further two assists from the 26 chances he created.

Despite leaving to join Crystal Palace last summer, both Townsend and the Magpies may feel that the wide-man has unfinished business with the Tyneside outfit and he could easily prove to be a key player for the newly-promoted side in the upcoming season.

Price tag

Newcastle knew as soon as they were relegated to the Championship in 2016 that Townsend’s future would be in doubt because of the £12m release clause in his Magpies contract, and it proved to be the case as the Eagles snapped him up.

While Rafa Benitez has largely been frustrated in his attempts to bring some of his top targets to St James’ Park during the summer transfer window, he may see the opportunity to buy the 26-year-old for just £3m more than the club sold him for as an opportunity that is too good to turn down.

The Tyneside outfit may have already signed wingers Christian Atsu and Jacob Murphy this summer but Townsend is able to play on either wing and has the significant Premier League experience that those two don’t.

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