Mark Hughes denies rejected Michael Keane bid

Stoke City manager Mark Hughes has claimed that reports suggesting his side have had a bid for Burnley defender Michael Keane turned down are "not true".

The Potters were rumoured to have lodged a £7m bid for the former Manchester United centre-back, who joined Burnley on a three-and-a-half-year deal just 12 months ago.

However, Hughes insists that he is unaware of any bid for the 23-year-old, and also refused to comment on speculation linking the club with moves for Shane Long, Saido Berahino and Giannelli Imbula.

"I'm not quite sure where [the Keane reports have] come from. My understanding is that is not true. [They're] all good players, all at good clubs, and the clubs they are at will probably feel they want to keep them there," Hughes told reporters.

"It is inappropriate for me to talk about individual players, other than to say we're in the market for good players. We are actively looking. We think there are opportunities if everything falls into place, but there are a lot of factors.

"We never get too ahead of ourselves because we know the potential pitfalls of the transfer process. We just have to be patient. If it happens, we'll be delighted. If we have to bide our time until the summer, so be it."

Stoke are yet to do any business in this month's transfer window.