Stoke City knocked back in pursuit of Man United player | OneFootball

Stoke City's approach for Ruben Curley has been denied.

Stoke City have had their approach for Manchester United midfielder Ruben Curley firmly rejected.

This is according to Football Insider, who are reporting that the Red Devils have little interest in letting him depart this window.

The Potters have been relatively shrewd in this transfer window, securing just two loan signings in Josh Wilson-Esbrand and Ali Al-Hamadi.

However, with Mark Robins now reaching the limit of five loan players in a matchday squad, Stoke will need to focus on permanent additions. They were reportedly keen on bringing Curley to the bet365 Stadium, but that move now appears unlikely.

Nonetheless, Stoke are expected to strengthen their squad before today's transfer deadline, with many fans nervously looking over their shoulders at the relegation zone.

Currently, they sit five points clear of 22nd-placed Derby County, though three other teams separate them from the Rams.

Stoke have Ruben Curley approach rejected by Man United

As detailed in the aforementioned post, Stoke have seen their approach for Curley firmly rejected.

The 19-year-old has regularly featured for United's youth teams and has played seven games in the Premier League 2 so far this term, providing one assist in the process.

Currently, his contract at Old Trafford is set to expire in the summer, though Ruben Amorim's side retain the option to extend it should they want to.

This potential extra year may appeal to the young midfielder, especially given the recent emergence of players like Kobbie Mainoo and Toby Collyer from Carrington, both of whom have impressed under challenging circumstances.

However, the rejection of Stoke's approach isn't to say they can't return and if United were to get a midfielder through the door today, then they may just authorise a departure for Curley.

Busy deadline day for Mark Robins' Stoke

While it does seem unlikely that Stoke will be able to secure Curley, they have some other dealings to continue on what looks to be a busy deadline day in Staffordshire.

According to the Stoke Sentinel, they are keen on bringing in a pacy winger to bolster their frontline, but that won't be Hibernian’s Elie Youan.

In terms of outgoings, Jordan Thompson is a potential option with Swedish giants AIK keen on signing the midfielder. However, they are able to sign him at any point up until March, with their transfer window remaining open till then.

Aside from that, it seems relatively quiet and this could see them return to Old Trafford to try and convince United to let Curley depart for Stoke before the end of the deadline.