Stoke flop Giannelli Imbula joins Toulouse on season-long loan with option to buy
Midfielder has flopped at the bet365 stadium following his big money move from Porto last February and now has chance to revive career in Ligue 1
STOKE CITY flop Giannelli Imbula could be on his way out on loan to Toulouse.
Potters boss Mark Hughes was seen to have pulled off a coup by landing the Belgian from Porto for £18million last February.
Despite scoring in just his second game in England, the midfielder has failed to make the impact hoped and Stoke have cut their losses.
Imbula became Portuguese football's record signing when he joined Porto from Marseille for £15.1m in July 2015.
Imbula made just 23 appearances for the Potters and struggled to fill the midfield hole left by Steven N’Zonzi when he switched to Sevilla six months earlier.
Hughes has been dissppointed with Imbula during his time in the Midlands and recently admitted the midedfielder could do with a fresh start.
Hughes said: "It's fair to say it hasn't quite worked out as any of us would have wanted.
"It's fair to say if there was interest in Gianelli from other parties, then maybe we'd consider that."
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"Obviously, it would have to be suitable for ourselves and the player himself. We haven't had any interest - only speculation.
The arrival of Darren Fletcher on a free from West Brom has seen Imbula fall even further down the pecking order with no real prospect of game time this season.