Stoke City rule out Mevlut Erding bid

Stoke City assistant manager Mark Bowen has revealed that Mark Hughes has decided against launching a bid for Rennes striker Mevlut Erding.

Hughes travelled to Nice for a scouting mission on Saturday night, watching Erding play 90 minutes in a 2-1 defeat for Rennes.

Bowen has moved to quiet media speculation that Hughes was planning a £5m move for the Turkish striker, insisting that Erding didn't do enough to impress last weekend.

He told BBC Radio Stoke: "Mark's seen the player and the search goes on.

"I don't think he was totally enamoured with the performance of the player."

Erding has been linked with the Premier League in the past after scoring 15 times in 46 games for Rennes, including interest from Newcastle United.