Stoke City maintain interest in Aston Villa defender James Chester?

Stoke City have reportedly suggested that they are prepared to pay £8m for Aston Villa defender James Chester.

The Potters suffered relegation from the Premier League earlier this year, and Gary Rowett is currently in the process of reshaping the first-team squad.

Villa have already rejected two offers from Stoke for Chester but according to the Daily Mail, the Staffordshire-based outfit remain keen on signing the Wales international.

The report suggests that while Stoke are not willing to meet Villa's asking price of £10m, they would be happy to part ways with £8m to push through a deal.

Villa must raise funds in the coming weeks to strengthen their financial position, but the club allegedly still owe money to West Bromwich Albion from the deal that took Chester to Villa in 2016.