Reds battle Stoke for defender

Stoke boss Tony Pulis is ready to raid Hull for French centre-half Steven Mouyokolo – and hopes to pull off a bargain deal.

The big defender, signed from Boulogne last summer, has become a regular in the Tigers side in the second half of the season and is one of the club’s most saleable assets as they fear the cost of relegation.

Mouyokolo could be snapped up for around £2million and Pulis is favourite to win the chase for him – with Hull unlikely to be able to resist bids if they go down at the end of the season.

But the Stoke boss will have to act quickly – ­Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal are all said to have cast admiring glances at the Frenchman.

Pulis already has a handful of commanding centre-halves in his squad but thinks Mouyokolo could develop into a top player.

If they go down, Hull will lose a handful of players in the summer to slash their wage bill, with former Fulham star Jimmy Bullard and Stephen Hunt also likely to be shunted out.

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